Officers charged a retired policeman in the death of a pregnant woman in custody on the same day he was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter in a separate case.
A grand jury on Thursday indicted former Portsmouth police officer Vincent McClean for the voluntary manslaughter of 28-year-old Carmeita ‘Carly’ VanGilder, according to WAVY News. VanGilder was pregnant with her second child when she died in December 2018, shortly after being arrested, the outlet reported.
Portsmouth police arrested VanGilder in the parking lot of a Walmart on an outstanding warrant after she allegedly failed to appear in court. She had several cans of aerosol in her purse, a drug she would inhale, according to a lawsuit filed by her parents.
VanGilder allegedly told arresting officers, including McClean, that she was sick. The officers did not call 911 or take her to the hospital after she asked for help and threw up in the patrol car and holding cell, according to court records obtained by WAVY. She was found unresponsive in the holding cell that night, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Police Find Dismembered Body Of Missing Minnesota Mom In Storage Unit, Boyfriend Faces Murder Charges)
VanGilder died of a heart condition brought about by drug use, an autopsy from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found, according to WAVY.
Court records show VanGilder was arrested more than 50 times between 2011 and 2018 in various locations including Newport News, Hampton and Williamsburg, WAVY reported in a separate article. She was charged for drug use, intoxication and failing to attend court.
Officer McClean’s indictment was issued the same day that he was acquitted for the death of Willie Marable, WAVY reported. Marable died in 2018 after police responded to a home invasion report in which Marable was one of two suspects. Police shot him after he allegedly refused to listen to their commands, according to WTKR, and Marable later died in the hospital.
This is 28-year-old Willie Marable. His family tells us he was shot and killed by Portsmouth Police last night. Police say he was armed during a home invasion. More on #13NewsNow at 4,5 and 6. pic.twitter.com/bGAf3LnB8n
— Ali Weatherton 13News Now (@13AliWeatherton) May 14, 2018
McClean was not the officer who fired shots at Marable; however, he was the supervisor on the scene, WAVY reported. Prosecutors alleged McClean did not perform life-saving measures on Marable, but the jury did not find McClean responsible for the death, according to the outlet.