Shaye Bear gave birth four months prematurely after screaming in pain inside her jail cell for two days. Bear is currently incarcerated in Ellis County, Texas on a drug charge from March 10th, and alleges that she was accused of both faking and inducing labor, and was left to deliver her child alone in her cell as guards failed to provide proper medical care. She claims that despite multiple requests for assistance, and clear and present signs of physical distress, no one helped her.
“The guards would walk by and tell me they wouldn’t do nothing for me until I had that baby in that cell,” Bear told local WFAA.
Due to financial barriers, Bear and her family have not been able to make the $5,000 bond for her to be released. Citing pain and concerns regarding her pregnancy, she requested a bail reduction in order to go to the emergency room, as she claimed she was having contractions. Her request was rejected on the basis of her previous drug use.
Instead, Bear was moved to a single cell so she would have greater access to care. For two days, however, Bear requested–and was denied–medical care. Last Thursday, Bear was finally permitted to see a doctor, but her pain was attributed to an infection.
That same day, Bear gave birth in her cell to a one pound, two ounce baby, which she named Cashh. Bear insists that even after giving birth, guards refused to provide immediate attention, with one even asking if she ‘reached inside herself and pulled the baby out.’ She claims that she had to suck fluid out of her son’s mouth and nose as the jailers still refused to provide her with apt care.
According to a law enforcement official, investigators believed that Bear induced labor
“She made no secret to other inmates in the jail that she didn’t want that baby,” the official said.
Bear vehemently denied this.
“Hell no. I was trying to force them to take me to the hospital, so they could stop my labor,” she said.
After she gave birth, Shaye and Cashh were taken to a local medical center, and Cashh was then taken by helicopter to Cook’s Children Medical Center in Fort Worth, where he is being treated. The circumstances surrounding the child’s birth are now being investigated, and the Ellis County Sheriff’s office has yet to publicly comment on the case.
[Image via WFAA screengrab]
