Jail inmate sentenced for fight that led to cellmate’s death

By Carrie A. Mizell

A 22-year-old man, with no prior criminal offenses, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, for a fight that led to the death of a fellow inmate inside the Gilchrist County Jail.
Circuit Judge Mark Moseley sentenced Andrew J. Ward, of Middleburg, on August 20, after he pled no contest to one charge of manslaughter in the 2009 death of Callen Kincaid.
On Aug. 4, 2009, Kincaid was found lying on the floor of his jail cell inside the Gilchrist County Jail not breathing. Attempts to revive Kincaid, performed by both corrections staff and emergency medical technicians, were unsuccessful.
After the incident, Gilchrist County Sheriff Daniel Slaughter explained that Kincaid had gotten into an altercation with his cellmate, Andrew Ward, two days before his death. During the altercation, 34-year-old Kincaid was struck in the head several times and fell to the cement floor striking his head.

Andrew Ward	Callen Kincaid

In doing so, Kincaid sustained serious injuries, which prompted Gilchrist County Emergency Medical Services to respond to the facility and transport Kincaid to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.
Kincaid, who was a resident of Homerville, Georgia, was released from Shands Hospital that evening, at which time he was transported back to the Gilchrist County Jail.
After arriving back at the jail at 7:56 p.m., Kincaid was placed in isolation under observation, Sheriff Slaughter said.
Just one hour and 19 minutes later, Kincaid was found not breathing.
At the time of the incident, Ward was serving a 60-day sentence, which began on July 20, 2009 for possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age.
Last week, Ward’s 60-day sentence for a lesser crime changed to an additional 30-month sentence for manslaughter.
According to Barbie Martin, deputy clerk at the Gilchrist County Clerk’s Office, Ward appeared before Circuit Judge David Glant on the charge of possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age. At the sentencing, Ward was given the option of 60 days in jail, or probation.
Ward made a life changing decision when he opted for jail time.
At the time of his death, Kincaid was awaiting sentencing after being arrested on July 7, 2009 while allegedly trying to steal anhydrous ammonia from Southern States in Trenton.