JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As family and friends celebrated the life and mourned the death of Charles Faggart at his funeral Saturday, his family’s attorney released a statement on behalf of the family, which stated Faggart was not on fentanyl at the time of the Duval County Jail incident that led to his death.

The jail incident report from the April 7 incident stated Faggart told jail officials he was on the drug. The incident report was written by one of the nine corrections officers currently under investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office and the FBI for the incident.

Attorney Belkis Plata released the statement Saturday afternoon, attributing medical professionals who reviewed Faggart’s hospital records.

“Medical professionals we consulted have reviewed Charles’s hospital records and confirmed that no fentanyl was detected in his system upon admission—contrary to statements in a police report alleging that Charles told officers he had taken fentanyl,” Plata said in a statement on behalf of the family. “That statement came from officers who are themselves under investigation, and we maintain that this claim is false.”

The report, written by T.C. Pennamon, one of the corrections officers under investigation, said at one point Faggart told the jail’s mental health director he “did fentanyl,” and the director then “deemed him fit to be placed in self-harm housing.”

The report says “yes” to a questionnaire asking whether drugs were involved in the incident.

Faggart, 31, died April 10 after the incident inside the Duval County Jail on April 7. He was in custody for simple assault and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors. 

JSO released a redacted version of the incident report on April 14, and the exact circumstances that led to Faggart’s death remain unclear. 

Plata said Faggart’s family still doesn’t know exactly what happened to the Jacksonville caterer and food truck owner.

“The family remains desperate for answers. Our team has been in contact with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, and the FBI,” Plata said in the statement. “Each agency has indicated that investigations are ongoing but have been unable to provide any updates or a timeline for resolution.”

Florida law prevents the release of information that’s under an active criminal investigation. 

“Burying their son without answers has been one of the hardest parts of this nightmare,” Plata said in the statement. “It is a devastating reality to lay him in the ground without knowing what truly happened or who will be held accountable. The family continues to call for transparency, accountability, and timely justice for Charles.”

Eight corrections officers and one corrections sergeant are listed as part of the active investigation and have been stripped of their corrections authority, JSO said in a social media post.

The incident was in its “early stages” of a criminal investigation by JSO, the FBI and the State Attorney’s Office, JSO said on April 14.

“It is a top priority for Sheriff Waters and his administration to get the information involving this incident to Mr. Faggart’s family, friends, and our community,” JSO said in the April 14 post. “However, we ask people to respect that serious investigations like this take time and it is our duty to get it right. Rest assured; we will release relevant case details as soon as we are able to do so.”

First Coast News reached out to JSO for an update on the investigation and received the following statement: 

“As it pertains to the investigation, please understand that it continues to be ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the information will be disseminated once we are legally able to do so.”

First Coast News also requested a copy of the hospital reports referenced in Plata’s statement from the family, as well as preliminary and full autopsy reports from the medical examiner’s office. This story will be updated when that information becomes available.