ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis officials are disputing claims that a paraplegic inmate hasn’t been able to get clean.
Associate City Counselor Brent Dulle told U.S. District Judge Ronnie White on Wednesday that it was an “untenable” argument that Anthony Tillman is suffering irreparable harm by having to to bathe instead of take a shower, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
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Tillman sued in federal court last week alleging the downtown jail has no showers for people in wheelchairs and that he has only been provided a basin and a rag for washing. Tillman, his suit says, has a bullet lodged in his back from a 2017 shooting.
Tillman’s lawyers on Wednesday sought a judge’s emergency order that the jail accommodate Tillman’s disability.
Tillman’s lawyer, Emanuel Powell III, said Tillman is entitled to access to an ADA-compliant shower and help washing himself. He said Tillman was injured when he fell in the shower last year.
Dulle said the jail’s doctor concluded Tillman is capable of accessing the shower and washing himself. He said the jail is willing to help him move from his wheelchair to a shower bench or chair.
The judge took Tillman’s request under advisement.