Charles Faggart of Chop it Charlie's. | gofundme
Published on April 9, 2025 at 2:43 pm
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A Duval County jail inmate is in critical condition after being “seriously injured” during some kind of incident Monday morning, Sheriff T.K. Waters said.
But exactly what happened and where it occurred in the Pre-Trial Detention Facility has not been released as an investigation continues.
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The inmate’s name also was not released, nor was any information about what led to his jailing in the first place. Waters said the information was withheld because of the person’s privacy rights.
The man’s family posted a gofundme appeal identifying him as Charles Faggart, father of a 6-year-old son and a chef who operates Chop It Charlie’s food truck. They said he was “fighting for his life.”
“While the full details are still unfolding, one thing is clear — Charles was harmed while in a place where he should have been safe,” the gofundme says.
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Waters said department detectives are investigating as the State Attorney’s Office conducts its own inquiry. Later Wednesday, he said he had asked the FBI to work with his detectives to ensure the public’s confidence in the investigation.
“Out of an abundance of caution, eight corrections officers and one corrections sergeant have been removed from their positions and stripped of all their corrections authority,” Waters said during a short news conference late Tuesday. “They will all remain in this status until conclusion of this investigation.”
No one had been arrested. The inmate’s injuries, while not specified, were bad enough that Waters said he decided to tell the public about it.
“I said critical,” he said when questioned about whether the inmate was on life support. “That means the injuries are bad, very bad — bad enough for me to come out here and tell the public about it.”
Asked for an update Wednesday, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Christian Hancock would say only that the inmate was continuing to be treated at a hospital and that the specific location of the incident remains unknown.
The Tributary, a Jacksonville Today news partner, reported that Waters requested the man’s bond be reduced so his family could visit him in the hospital. The original bond, $5,003, was removed so he is no longer in custody, the Tributary said.
Jail records show Charles Faggart was released from jail Tuesday on assault and vandalism charges.
Faggart’s attorney, Belkis Plata of Plata Schott Law, issued a statement saying her client is on a ventilator.
“The family is devastated and demands answers regarding how Charles sustained such catastrophic injuries while in the custody and under the supervision of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office — a place where he should have been kept safe,” the statement said.
“This incident has placed an overwhelming emotional and financial burden on the family,” Plata said. “They are calling for a thorough and transparent investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice.”
