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York County PA jail failed to charge inmate's defibrillator vest and ignored chest-pain reports; he died within 48 hours of intake

Todd Sidesinger was booked into York County Prison in Pennsylvania on February 18, 2024 — three days after being discharged from a heart-failure hospitalization during which two cardiac stents were inserted. Staff noted at intake that his prescribed defibrillator vest needed charging but that no charger was available; the vest was never charged during his detention. On February 19, Sidesinger submitted a medical request reporting chest pain; an EKG showing Premature Ventricular Contractions was deemed "normal" and he was given acetaminophen. On February 20 he reported chest pain again and was sent back to his cell; he was found unconscious at approximately 5:25 a.m. and died after hospitalization. His sister filed a wrongful-death suit against PrimeCare Medical, the jail's for-profit medical contractor, York County, and the warden.

Jurisdiction
Pennsylvania
Location
York, Pennsylvania

Abuses documented

Actors

  • York County Prison
  • PrimeCare Medical

Todd Sidesinger was hospitalized with heart failure on February 14, 2024; two cardiac stents were inserted. He was discharged on February 15. On February 18, 2024 — three days later — he was arrested and booked into York County Prison over approximately $1,500 in unpaid court fees stemming from 2008 misdemeanor convictions. Staff noted at intake that his prescribed defibrillator vest, which delivers electrical shocks for life-threatening heart rhythms and requires charging approximately every 24 hours, "would need charged when running low" — and that there was "no charger available." The vest was never charged during his detention.

On February 19, Sidesinger submitted a medical request reporting chest pain. A nurse practitioner reviewed an EKG showing Premature Ventricular Contractions, deemed the results "normal," and provided acetaminophen. On February 20 he again reported chest pain; nursing staff dismissed the complaint and sent him back to his cell. He was found unconscious at approximately 5:25 a.m. and died after hospitalization. A nurse's note describing him as "in stable condition" post-dates his collapse.

Sidesinger's medical care at York County Prison was provided by PrimeCare Medical, a for-profit contractor. His sister, Vicki Sidesinger, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against PrimeCare, York County, the warden, and others; defendants deny wrongdoing. The case was reported by The Appeal in July 2026 based on jail records and litigation documents.

Why we recorded this

Jail staff who identify a prescribed, ongoing medical need at intake take on responsibility for meeting it. Todd Sidesinger, booked three days after heart-failure surgery, had a prescribed defibrillator vest that intake staff noted needed charging but never charged; nursing staff dismissed two chest-pain reports over the following two days before he was found unconscious and died. This archive records the death because a specific, documented cardiac risk, identified at intake and then left unaddressed, is a failure of care rather than an unexplained death.

Sources

  1. He Was Arrested for Unpaid Court Fees. He Was Dead 48 Hours Later. — The Appeal investigative accessed July 26, 2026
  2. York County prison inmate dies after medical evaluation — ABC27 (WHTM) primary accessed July 29, 2026

See also