Local resident alleges Davidson County EMS failures in son's death, asks board for accountability and records
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Summary
Michelle Jett Brown told the Board she believes EMS failed to provide life-saving care to her 22-year-old son, cited missing EKG strips and alleged suppression of bodycam footage; she said the county attorney labeled her claims baseless and a threat to employee safety and urged the board to pursue transparency and accountability.
At the Jan. 12 meeting Michelle Jett Brown used the public-comment period to make a series of accusations about the treatment of her 22-year-old son, Colton, during an EMS call and about the county's handling of public-records requests.
Brown alleged that EMS did not provide life-saving measures, that Colton was pronounced deceased without EKG strips included in records, that no call to medical control was made, and that an improper medical exam occurred “in the back of an ambulance.” She said she and an independent, licensed paramedic who reviewed body-camera footage and records prepared a minute-by-minute report documenting alleged EMS-protocol violations. "In my opinion, those responsible for these failures should be prosecuted," Brown said.
Brown also said the county attorney called her public-records complaints "baseless" and characterized her as a threat to employee safety; she denied threatening employees and said large public-records files had been sent to her email marked as unsafe to open. Brown asked the board for transparency and accountability and urged commissioners to sign a resolution opposing the SSEP pipeline (a separate policy ask).
The transcript records Brown's allegations but does not include a county official response to the substantive medical claims in the public comment period. County staff later discussed closed-session Industrial Commission settlements unrelated to EMS during the meeting; no formal board action on Brown's requests was recorded in the public portion of the meeting. The county attorney's characterization is reported by Brown as an account of an earlier exchange; the attorney did not give a public rebuttal in the recorded transcript.
Because the claims concern alleged operational failures by county EMS personnel and an asserted records dispute, they remain allegations in the public record. Brown said she had reviewed body-camera footage and an independent paramedic had produced a report, but the board did not take public action on her requests at this meeting.
Status: Allegations made publicly; no formal board action recorded on EMS procedures or records at this session. The claims are unresolved in the hearing.