A member of the public used the Sedgwick County commission's Jan. 7 public-comment period to urge the board to acknowledge and act on the 2021 death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton, describing what she said were injuries and alleging county responsibility.

Alma Ann Jones told commissioners a detailed account of the brothers' upbringing, the younger sibling's death and what she characterized as failures in the foster-care and county systems. "If you haven't figured it out by now, this is the story of 17 year old Cedric Lofton," Jones said during her five-minute public comment.

Chairman Beatty and county counsel responded that a jury trial is scheduled in weeks and it would be inappropriate for the commission to comment on pending litigation. "As you mentioned, there is a jury trial that'll begin here in just a few weeks, so it's not appropriate for us to comment on pending litigation," the chairman said.

Jones urged the board to "listen to your conscience" and act; commissioners thanked her for speaking and did not take further action during the meeting. The commission did not discuss or open any formal inquiry or agenda item related to the case at Jan. 7.

The account given during public comment is part of the public record of the meeting. Because the matter is the subject of pending litigation, county officials declined to discuss specifics in the hearing.