Inmate dies at Thurston County Jail, sheriff confirms

An inmate died while at Thurston County Jail, Sheriff Derek Sanders confirmed Sunday.

The cause of death has yet to be determined by the coroner’s office, as of this reporting.

“Corrections staff and on-site medical personnel immediately began life-saving efforts, which were continued by arriving medics,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an announcement. “The medics began to transport the inmate at which time he was pronounced deceased.”

Thurston County Jail’s drug problem

The correctional facility has had repeated issues with drugs being smuggled into the jail and later distributed among the inmates.

Sanders put to bed any concerns that deputies could be supplying drugs into the jail.

“Not one inmate, social worker, nurse, technician, mental health provider, or attorney has made a single allegation that narcotics have been supplied by a deputy,” Sanders told KIRO 7. “If a deputy were to supply drugs inside our jail, they would be fired and arrested for numerous felony crimes.”

Sanders shared that the facility’s body scanner can no longer detect narcotics in the stomach or rectal cavities, leading to more and more prisoners smuggling drugs inside the jail, often by swallowing a balloon before their respective arrest.

Due to state laws, strip searches are also only permitted under very limited circumstances.

Sanders encourages anyone with evidence of deputy misconduct to submit a complaint online or on the phone by calling (360) 704-2740.

Contributing: KIRO 7

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