Not Your Average Jail: One Inmate’s Account Of The Dade County Jail
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
“The nurse at the Dade County Jail saved my life, and I think she should be recognized for good work.” So began a conversation with Tim Mealor, a humble, respectful man who approached the Sentinel to share about his experience inside Dade’s jail. “In this county jail, with this administration, Dade got it right. It’s a well-oiled machine, and they want to help you.”
Mealor explained that he is not proud of his past—one riddled with 60 arrests and years of addiction to methamphetamine. When listing how many jails he’s been in, he lost count at eight but believes it’s more than ten. Because of this, he feels strongly that the people of Dade need to know that our jail stands out from the rest.
Mealor was in federal prison from 2001-2009, after which he returned to his job, bought a house in the Chattanooga area, and stayed off drugs for about a decade. He said he was doing well in life until 2019 when a motorcycle accident landed him in the hospital, and he simultaneously split from his wife.
He lost his leg, and infection and other complications kept him hospitalized for almost six months. “My leg missing was really messing with me mentally,” he said. The end of the marriage was also difficult, and the downward spiral led him to contemplate suicide and begin using meth again. In Mealor’s words, “When you’re not doing right, things don’t go right.”
Thinking that a new setting and new friends might help, Mealor moved to a friend’s property in Flat Rock, Ala. He started a relationship with another woman, an addict, and it wasn’t long before he was hooked on meth again. “We were headed for destruction, but when you’re on drugs like that, you don’t think of where you’re headed; you just think of right then and now.”
After moving to the Davis community, Mealor was pulled over by Dade County Sheriff’s Office deputies multiple times, arrested, and charged with possession and several vehicle-related charges. He missed his court date in Dade, however, because he soon landed in the Hamilton County Jail for six months.
Just after Thanksgiving 2023, while in the Hamilton jail, Mealor couldn’t keep any food down. Everything he ate came right back up, so he put in a request for medical care. After two weeks with no response, he put in a second request. Another week later, the staff finally took him in for an X-ray. They put him on antacids, but this didn’t help.
The weeks passed by until one day, he collapsed to the floor, gagging but with nothing left to regurgitate. The medical team took his vitals, but as Mealor recounts it, “Long story short, they said, ‘He’s alright now,’ and put me back in the cell.”
At the end of January 2024, he’d served his time in Hamilton and was extradited to Dade because of the missed court date. Mealor recalled weighing in at Hamilton at 173 pounds but weighing in at Dade at 117 pounds.
During the medical exam that’s part of the intake process, the Dade County Jail nurse, Angel Morrison, remembered Mealor from his arrests. He recalled, “First words out of her mouth were, ‘How are you? I see you don’t look well,’” so he explained his symptoms.
Morrison scheduled Mealor for an X-ray, put him on medical observation, and had him try drinking broth. He broke into a smile when he described drinking the broth. “It felt so good. I’d literally been starving to death. She obviously left notes for people to keep any eye on me, and they did.”
One night, he wasn’t breathing well at all, but Mealor said the corrections officers sat with him for three and a half hours, checking his vitals. “You don’t get people like that everywhere, trust me.”
He recalled Morrison talking with a corporal and Captain Joseph Chambers. “She told me, ‘You really, really need to see a doctor.’ I heard the seriousness in her voice.”
The corporal explained that because Mealor had missed his court date due to being incarcerated, Dade could vacate the failure to appear warrants. The jail team worked with a prosecutor to tie all three cases together in one court date and told Mealor to go home and see a doctor immediately.
He was released on Feb. 14 and went to the emergency room that evening. He spent two weeks in the hospital with a feeding tube before receiving the diagnosis: esophageal and liver cancer.
The doctor gave him a year to live, with chemotherapy likely to add a few more months, so Mealor started chemo. “I ain’t going to paint a pretty picture of it,” he said. “It’s rough. It’s poison, is what it is.”
However, he also said he feels much better now than when he was admitted, and he’s been able to eat again. “I’ve been pigging out like you would not believe,” he said with a big smile.
The Sentinel shared Mealor’s story with Captain Chambers who voiced his appreciation of Morrison and said she’s very good at keeping him in the loop about inmates who are very sick. An important thing for taxpayers to know is that the jail is responsible for inmates’ medical expenses, so the jail would like serious issues to be handled when Dade County isn’t footing the bill. As Chambers put it, “The taxpayers don’t need to be paying for inmates’ cancer treatments.”
In addition to doctor’s appointments, Mealor is staying on top of his court dates with the help of Pam Wheeler (head of probation) whom he calls “a rock. I can’t say enough good about her. She’s been super supportive, not only with my sickness, but also of my future and the court proceedings. She wants to see people do well. When you do well, she tells you you do well. If you’re not doing well, she’s going to let you know.”
According to Mealor’s account, he was headed to the grave while in Hamilton County, and without Morrison, he wouldn’t be here today to share this story. “She’s a beautiful person. She started the ball rolling, and I just want her to be recognized for a job well done and for her kindness.”
His appreciation of Dade County goes beyond Morrison and Wheeler, though. He said, “The people of Dade County got it right. Whoever they voted in, and I mean top to bottom, court to the jail, there’s nobody there that’s trying to punish you. They know your punishment is being there. They’re trying to help you. I’ve never been accustomed to that. It made me want to help myself, and I want to help other people. It shows you there’s good people left in this world.”
The Sentinel recounted Mealor’s appreciation to Chambers who said, “If folks let us, we’re going to treat them right.”
Of the success of the overall system, Chambers explained, “It can’t be attributed to one person. I’ve got a great staff behind me, a great nurse, a good kitchen manager, good administrative staff.” He noted that he is thankful that the jail and sheriff’s office have a good relationship with the Dade County Board of Commissioners. From what Chambers has seen, this is not normal in all counties.
When Mealor described his other incarcerations, he painted a vastly different picture than that of Dade. He said that in his six months in Hamilton, he didn’t see daylight once, even though inmates are supposed to get an hour of rec time every day.
He said he didn’t get a razor or a care pack with other toiletries once while in Hamilton, but “you get all that in Dade. I was just flabbergasted. I asked an inmate, ‘Do you get razors here?’ He said twice a week. I said, ‘If they decide to?’ He said, ‘Oh no, they’ll be here,’ like it’s the norm, and it was. And you don’t have to go outside, but they offer you outside unless it’s very cold.”
He also described the dangers inside other jails. “In Hamilton County, if you get in a fight, you could be dead by the time the jailers respond. They don’t get in a hurry. A lot of jails are like that.”
He’s experienced the gang activity that is prevalent in many jails. “If you don’t pick a group to hang with, then you’re going to get extorted by one of these groups. It’s fight or flight.”
However, Mealor said gang activity is surprisingly absent from the Dade jail, and he didn’t witness any fights while in the jail. “The difference is night and day. I’ve seen inmates have words, but not a fight. There’s a sense of security in Dade.”
As to what creates this environment, Chambers cited having a fully staffed jail while facilities in surrounding counties have trouble maintaining a full staff. He reported that safety concerns and lack of advancement opportunities are commonly mentioned problems among other jails, but in Dade, many deputies get their start in the jail.
Additionally, Chambers reported that most jails are at 100 percent capacity; Dade isn’t, making it a more stable setting. He added that for the most part, the inmates get along.
Mealor also raved about the food in the jail, adding, “The sweet tea is off the chain.”
He added, “Being arrested is a terrible thing to go through if you’ve never been in jail before and you don’t know what other jails are like. You get some officers in prison who’d do anything in the world to get you to flare off at them or take a swing at them.”
Lastly, Mealor appreciated the church services in the Dade jail. In other jails, he’s seen chaplains or volunteers come in, read scripture, and try to pray with inmates, but he said, “It’s not like here. In Dade, you hear testimonies, you have worship, and you can feel the presence of my Lord. I rededicated my life to the Lord there. When you got inmates singing and praising the Lord at the top of their lungs and not ashamed to do so, you know you’re in a better place.”
Chambers reported that about 65 percent of Dade inmates attend the Thursday evening church services, which he said is unheard of in most jails.
Celebrate Recovery, Rex Mayo (jail chaplain), and A Hand Up Ministry are all part of our community’s hopes for changed lives and a stronger community. Chambers said, “Everything in full motion plays a big role in reduced recidivism and why we’re not at 100 percent capacity.”
Mealor thanked the entire staff at the Dade jail and in the court system. “I got nothing but respect for these people. They probably could have jobs somewhere else making more money. I know they don’t make all that great for what they go through.”
These days, Mealor is focused on making the most of each day, still taking care of his chickens and dogs. He is proud to say that he’s been off drugs for 17 months this October. “I don’t dwell on knowing I’m dying; I’m just enjoying life. I’m thankful that nurse helped shake me back to my senses. I want to do well because of people like that.”
