Nearly two years after jail death, report posted

NEWPORT – Nearly two years ago, a 29-year-old man with severe mental illness with psychotic delusions was found dead in his jail cell in the Pend Oreille County Jail from complications of Type 1 diabetes.

The Unexpected Fatality Review Committee Report of Jacob Mitchell’s death was posted to the state Department of Health website March 21. Mitchell was being held in the Pend Oreille County jail pending sentencing for killing his mother.

Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee had difficulty assembling the review committee, which delayed the posting.

According to the committee findings, the Pend Oreille County Jail does not have any medical personnel on staff and therefore corrections officers are required to dispense medications.

“In the case of a Type 1 diabetic this is not optimal due to the chronic nature of the condition,” the report states. “In addition, the decedent had severe mental illness with psychotic delusions.”

The report said that Mitchell administered insulin injections to himself using a multi dose pen. There is a plunger a corrections officer dials up the with number of insulin units to be dosed based on the subject’s blood sugar levels.

The officer then hands the insulin pen to the inmate who injects the insulin, the report says.

“It should be noted on two occasions the decedent was caught trying to dial up the amount of insulin while injecting himself,” the report said.

The report recommended creating a position for a medical professional to be on staff to conduct medical screenings and administer and oversee prescription drugs.

“The decedent was a unique case due to his mental health illness and psychosis,” the committee report said. The report recommends considering contracting with a secured corrections facility to house inmates with severe mental illness or chronic health conditions.

According to the report, Mitchell had not slept in his cell bed for a week prior to his death April 5, 2023. He had been diagnosed with COVID March 29, 2023. The next day, March 30, he pleaded guilty to second degree murder. He had not eaten or eaten very little after pleading guilty.

Mitchell had been taken to the Newport hospital emergency room April 2, 2023, because of a very low blood sugar reading. He was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and returned to jail and moved to a holding cell, the report said.

April 4, 2023, he was again taken to the ER for “medical problems,” after complaining of not feeling well but not giving a specific complaint. He received a medical screening examination and returned to the jail after his blood sugar level was taken.

On the night he died, Mitchell was last seen moving about 10:45 p.m., according to the report. Jail surveillance video showed Mitchell kneeled on the floor by his bed at about 10:25 p.m.

According to the report, there were two corrections officers on duty the night he died.

On most nights there is only one officer on duty in the facility throughout the night, according to the report. Officers are not allowed to open cell doors unless they are accompanied by another officer. If there is some sort of altercation or medical emergency and only one officer is on duty a corrections officer is called from home to assist.

The committee recommended “consider increasing staffing to allow more than one corrections officer to be on duty at all times.”

Hourly rounds and checks were completed through the use of CCTV, the report stated.

Rounds are done in person but visibility within cells is limited due to lighting and the way some cells are constructed.

“With this being the case, eyes on contact is resigned to CCTV during the night. Corrections officers use their sense of hearing and smell at night after lights out to make certain there are no issues within the jail,” the report said.

The committee recommended looking at the policy to make sure all hourly rounds are done in person with actual eyes on all inmates to get an accurate account.

The committee noted that the booking area in the jail did not have any monitors to allow officers to possibly monitor any of the cameras while conducting a booking. It recommended installing video monitors in the booking area.

The Unexpected Fatality Review Committee was made up of Travis Stigall, Investigator, Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office; James Cotter, retired Sergent, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office; Wade Engleson former police officer, Fresno PD, retired Deputy Chief of Police, Vacaville, California and Dr. Clay Kersting, M.D.

The report can be viewed online at https:// doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury- and-violence-prevention/unexpected-fatality- jail-reviews.