East Central Reporter

A federal class action lawsuit has been filed against Coles County, Illinois, Sheriff Kent Martin, and several correctional officers. The suit, announced by Redwood Law Office and Laduzinsky & Associates, P.C., alleges that pre-trial detainees at the Coles County Jail have been subjected to inhumane conditions.

The case, titled Elijah Burch on behalf of himself and all similarly situated former and current pre-trial detainees housed at the Coles County Jail vs Kent Martin, et al., was filed in the Federal District Court for the Central District of Illinois. It claims that detainees from 2023 to 2025 were confined in cells without toilets or drinking water. According to the complaint, some detainees were denied access to a toilet or drinking water by correctional officers and punished when they attempted to seek relief.

The lawsuit further accuses Sheriff Kent Martin of maintaining a policy that denies basic human needs such as toilet use and drinking water. The filing suggests that these practices have persisted long enough for Martin to be aware of them, yet he either condones them or ignores their existence.

The plaintiffs in this case are pre-trial detainees who have not been convicted and are awaiting trial. They are considered innocent until proven guilty and argue that they should be treated reasonably during confinement. Some detainees reportedly had to use the floor as a toilet due to being ignored when requesting facilities, with no access to cleaning supplies or clean clothing afterward.

Redwood Law Office encourages individuals who were held under similar conditions at Coles County Jail between 2023 and 2025 to contact them. If successful, class members may receive financial compensation and contribute to efforts to end these alleged inhumane practices.