MAYVILLE – The family of a man who died last week at the Chautauqua County Jail is seeking answers.
In an exclusive interview with our news partner WIVB News 4, Pattie Pusateri said her son Gregory Gallaway, 28, was fighting a drug problem when she convinced him to turn himself in.
“I feel so bad because if I had not talked him into that he could be out here now,” Pusateri told News 4, as she thought about what her son might be doing if he had not surrendered, “getting higher and higher, it did not matter because he would still be alive.”
Pusateri said Gallaway was participating in Dunkirk Drug Court, with some success, but when he relapsed he would fail his urine test.
The mother convinced him to turn himself in when he spoke of skipping town to avoid being arrested.
The day after Gallaway turned himself in to police, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office announced a 28-year-old man had died in custody at the county jail. That same day the family was informed Gregory was found deceased in his jail cell.
“We wanted him to go into custody to avoid him dying, so that he would be safe, not on the run, and be cared for, and now he is dead,” explained Pusateri.
Authorities are still not sure exactly how Gallaway died. News 4 reports that the medical examiners from Erie County told the family the cause is still under investigation.
Gallaway’s family has hired Williamsville Attorney Matthew Albert to seek answers including if Pusateri was under “suicide watch”, and if so, how long did it take deputies in the jail to find him unresponsive?
News 4 reports Albert’s investigation has turned up evidence Gallaway might have had serious medical issues before he was taken to jail.
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