PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Palm Beach County jail inmate said deputies left him locked inside a hot car for 11 hours after a court appearance, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirms two deputies are now on administrative leave.
WATCH BELOW: 'What you've described to me is not good at all,' Rick Morris tells WPTV Investigative Reporter Dave Bohman
Devante Bray, who is awaiting trial on battery charges and probation violations, said the incident happened April 15. He said he was escorted to a squad car after a court appearance in downtown West Palm Beach, shackled in the backseat, and transported back to jail, where he said deputies left him for hours.
According to former deputies familiar with the prisoner transport system, Bray should have been brought directly to the sally port at the rear of the jail complex and then taken to his cell.
Instead, Bray said he spent 11 hours locked inside the vehicle.
"They must have forgot that I'm back here," Bray said.
Bray said after four hours in the car, he began feeling the effects of the heat. A WPTV weather forecast from April 15 showed temperatures in the upper 70s in West Palm Beach.
"I was just trying to keep control of my breathing and trying to fight the sun," Bray said.
After sunset, Bray said he licked condensation off the rear window to stay hydrated.
"So yeah, by the time 7 o'clock hit, I thought it was over for me, because that means I had to wait all the way to the next morning," Bray said.
Former deputies said jailers conduct a head count at 9 p.m. Bray said a couple of hours later, he saw deputies appearing to search the parking lot. After 11 p.m., he says one deputy discovered him in the back of the squad car.
"I waved my hand at him, and he was like, OK, thank you, Jesus, you're alive. You're alive," Bray said.
Medical records obtained by WPTV show Bray was taken to JFK Medical Center for treatment. Weeks after the ordeal, he said he is still in pain.
"I'd be thinking about, am I ever going to walk straight again, because I have a limp when I walk now," Bray said.
WPTV emailed the sheriff's office a list of questions. A spokesperson acknowledged the incident, said an investigation is ongoing, and confirmed two deputies have been placed on administrative leave.
Rick Morris, a former West Palm Beach assistant police chief and now a law enforcement instructor at Palm Beach State College, said the incident appears to be a serious policy violation.
"It's got to be investigated. I have confidence in the sheriff's office and their investigation," Morris said.
Morris said the consequences for the deputies involved could be significant.
"Depends on the totality of circumstances. What you've described to me is not good at all. I would imagine that the consequence would be severe once the facts are determined," Morris said.
Bray's grandmother, Christine Bray, said she did not learn about the incident until the day after it happened.
"It happened on Wednesday, and we didn't hear about it until Thursday," Christine Bray said.
She said she is still in shock.
"I never have heard anyone making it after 11 hours in a hot car in Florida," Christine Bray said.
She said she is grateful her grandson survived.
"Right now, we could be planning to bury my grandson, you know, and I just thank God that we got him," Christine Bray said.
Christine Bray said she hopes the incident changes her grandson's life.
"So, I know for a fact that God was there and he's got a purpose for my grandson," Christine Bray said.
The Bray family has hired an attorney to look into the case. No lawsuit has been filed.
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