[IN] The at-home shooting death of Harrison County Jail Cmdr. Christine Britton to be reviewed by the Grand Jury

A Harrison County grand jury is expected to be convened soon to review the circumstances surrounding the death of former county jail commander Christine Britton... Her estranged husband, county police officer John Britton, was present at the time...

INVESTIGATORS: HARRISON OFFICER LEFT GUN FOR WIFE TO SHOOT HERSELF
Courier Journal
By Grace Schneider
September 1, 2009
[Excerpts] Harrison County Police Officer John Britton told investigators shortly after his wife Christine shot herself at the couple’s Ramsey home that while arguing with her, he had placed his gun on the bed and left the room, according to police reports obtained by The Courier-Journal. Britton allegedly told investigators that he told his wife, "You want to kill yourself. Fine," during a heated argument on March 29. He said he placed his personal .40-caliber handgun on the couple’s bed and walked out of the room, then heard the fatal shot... [Full article here]

FROM EARLIER IN THE MONTH:

GRAND JURY TO REVIEW HARRISON JAIL OFFICIAL'S DEATH
courier-journal.com
By Grace Schneider
August 26, 2009
[Excerpts] A Harrison County grand jury is expected to be convened soon to review the circumstances surrounding the death of former county jail commander Christine Britton. Britton, 28, died of a single gunshot wound to the head at her Ramsey home on March 29. Her estranged husband, county police officer John Britton, was present at the time... Superior Court Judge Roger Davis has agreed to [Special Prosecutor Nancy] Jacobs' request and set Oct. 30 to convene the panel. [Harrison County Prosecutor Dennis] Byrd's office will ask Davis for the Britton grand jury to be convened sometime in the next 30 days... Christine Britton was one of several sheriff's department employees who were interviewed by Indiana State Police as part of the Deatrick investigation. On the day of her death, Britton called emergency dispatchers to report a domestic disturbance at her home. John Britton later made a second call, reporting that the couple had been fighting and that his wife had shot herself. John Britton was temporarily placed on leave but has since returned to duty. Christine Britton, from a well-known county family, was working as the jail's classification officer when she died but had served for a time as the jail commander. Her death stunned the community... Greg Clark, a lawyer working on behalf of Christine Britton's family, said the family was pleased that a grand jury will review the matter and "hope that all the evidence is fully presented to them." The family "strongly feel a grand jury is proper under the circumstances," Clark said... [Full article here]

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: SECOND GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE HARRISON SHERIFF'S DEPT.
hoosierpundit
Scott
Thursday, August 27, 2009
[Excerpt] ... A wrinkle in all of this is that Britton, as jail commander, was in charge of the surveillance system at the jail. Britton's death came just as the Indiana State Police were seizing elements of that surveillance system, and just after they had questioned Britton about it... [Full article here]

EARLIER THIS YEAR:

POLICE: FORMER HARRISON JAILER'S DEATH 'NOT SUICIDE'
Source: Victim 'Under Pressure' From Sheriff Investigation
WLKY
Mike Petchenik
POSTED: 8:01 pm EDT March 30, 2009
UPDATED: 10:55 am EDT March 31, 2009
[Excerpts] RAMSEY, Ind. -- WLKY has learned that a former Harrison County jailer, killed in what investigators are calling an "accidental shooting," was being questioned as a witness in a sexual harassment case against her boss. Sgt. Jerry Goodin said that police had received a domestic disturbance call from inside 28-year-old Christine Britton's home in the 2400 block of Ryleigh Court prior to the shooting. Goodin said Britton died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but he said investigators aren't characterizing Britton's death as a "suicide"... According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by WLKY, state investigators have questioned Britton, the former jail commander, about surveillance cameras that may have captured images of the sheriff pointing his gun at Deanna Decker and Melissa Graham after the pair filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)... Sgt. Goodin said that police have yet to find a link between Britton's death and her cooperation in the Deatrick investigation... [Full article here]

FROM ZANDERSMOMMA
WLKY Comments
Mar. 31, 2009 8:49pm EDT
[Excerpts] First of all, I have known Chrissie and her family my entire life, and there is no way that she would EVER try to commit suicide. This is a very messed up situation, and i think it would be appropriate if there wasn't a whole article about the investigation that has nothing what-so-ever to do with her death. I would like the person who wrote this to show some friggin' respect and not do an entire article about theDeatrick Investigation and mention what happened to her in one tiny little paragraph. Chrissie was a remarkable woman, and she will be forever missed. She was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and friend. R.I.P. Chrissie.

WOMAN, 28, FOUND DEAD
Corydon Democrat
April 01, 2009
[Excerpts] A former jail commander at the Harrison County Jail died Sunday evening at her home near Ramsey. According to a press release, officers with the Harrison County Sheriff's Department responded to the 2400 block of Ryleigh Court shortly after 6 p.m. on a call of an alleged accidental gunshot victim. The 911 call was made by Britton's husband, Harrison County police officer John Britton. When deputies arrived, they discovered Christine Britton, 28, deceased. The county police officers requested that the Indiana State Police assume the investigation... According to Harrison County Coroner Rusty Sizemore and medical examiners, preliminary results of the autopsy, performed Monday morning, showed Britton died as a result of a single, accidental gunshot wound to the head... Sheriff's Matron Joyce Deatrick, who served on the three-member committee that selected Britton as the jail commander in July 2006, described her as a "very good worker," and said her death has been extremely difficult to handle. "You can't even imagine," Deatrick said Monday. Both Deatricks were notified Sunday of the incident and went to the scene... [Full article here]

NEIGHBORS NOT CONVINCED WOMAN'S DEATH WAS ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING
WHAS11
Thursday, April 2, 2009
[Excerpts] ...[Neighbor P.S.] says she isn't convinced Britton's death was an accident and is now concerned about her own safety. "On Monday there were trucks up there, chemical trucks to clean up... so they're things in a hurry, somewhat, I think. Even when you lock your doors and go to bed at night you feel a little unsafe now"... Christine's husband, John Britton also works for the Harrison County Sheriff's Department... Christine Britton's funeral is at two pm tomorrow at the Gehlbach and Royse funeral home, in Corydon, Indiana. [Full article here]

HARRISON COUNTY SHERIFF MIKE DEATRICK RECOVERING FROM HEART ATTACK
EEOC finds incriminating evidence against Sheriff Mike Deatrick
whas11.com
Monday, April 6, 2009
[Excerpts] A sheriff under investigation is improving after he had a heart attack over the weekend... Deatrick's attorney says what the sheriff wants people to understand is that he hasn’t' done anything wrong and that he will not admit to any allegations... [Full article here]

DEATH OF JAIL OFFICER STILL UNDER REVIEW
courier-journal.com
By Grace Schneider
June 29, 2009
[Excerpts] On the Sunday that Christine Britton died, she sent a text message to her daughter promising the two would watch a movie together that night. Britton, 28, also dialed 911 later that day to report a domestic disturbance at her family's northern Harrison County home. But what else happened that March 29 where the former Harrison County jail commander lived with her husband John, a county sheriff's deputy, remains carefully guarded as Indiana State Police complete an investigation of the events that led to the woman's death from a single gunshot wound to the head... Police said the only people there at the time were Britton and her husband... Harrison County Sheriff Mike Deatrick ordered the investigation turned over to state police because of the couple's connections to the county police department. County Prosecutor Dennis Byrd said Monday the investigation of Christine Britton's death is nearing an end. He said he has received the state police report but has ordered the completion of written transcripts of some taped interviews. Byrd said he also expects to meet with Christine Britton's mother, stepfather and other family members. Her family, meanwhile, has hired Gregory Clark, a Jeffersonville lawyer, to represent them... John Britton was placed temporarily on administrative leave after his wife's death but was later returned to duty... [Full article here]

LAST YEAR:

2 DISPATCHERS SUE SHERIFF, COMMISSIONERS FOR VIOLATION OF THEIR RIGHTS
Corydon Democrat
Alan Stewart
June 18, 2008, 08:27 AM
[Excerpts] Two female employees [Deana Decker and Melissa Graham] of the Harrison County Sheriff's Dept. sued Sheriff G. Michael Deatrick, the three current county commissioners and a past county commissioner in federal court last week, alleging various violations of their constitutional rights took place in their workplace... The lawsuit provided additional details about the allegations against Deatrick, including retaliation Deatrick allegedly made after the original complaints were filed with the EEOC. On or about May 8, the suit said, Deatrick "deliberately and consciously engaged in adverse actions and retaliation against the plaintiffs"... The suit says Decker and Graham have suffered severe mental and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, personal indignity and humiliation due to Deatrick's "intentional, oppressive, malicious, exceptionally reprehensible and disregard" of their constitutional rights... [More graphic detail at link.] [Full article here]
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