Jefferson County is Sued over a 2016 County Jail Suicide
On September 16, 2016, 48-year-old Thomas Lorecki died after hanging himself in Jefferson County Jail in the state of Washington. One of his sons has filed a lawsuit against Jefferson County, claiming that his father had obviously been in a suicidal state and corrections staff failed to provide adequate supervision. The county essentially claimed in response that Lorecki’s death was a result of his own conduct.
The county also claims that a relative of Lorecki and a third cellmate both knew Lorecki was suicidal but failed to share the information with jail officials. In addition, the county says that Kitsap Mental Health Services may be an at-fault entity, but they were not named as a defendant.
A report by Sgt. Andy Pernsteiner said that Lorecki used bedding and his socks threaded through a wall vent 10 feet off the ground to end his life. The lawsuit brings into question why Lorecki wasn’t kept in a suicide-proof cell, since he had allegedly asked at least 10 times to see a mental health professional while an inmate at the jail. Pernsteiner’s report also allegedly said that at one point Lorecki attempted to hang himself with a T-shirt and that he was upset when guards were called because the shirt tore.
It’s expected that the trial will be held in 2018. In the meantime, it is still in the discovery stage.
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