State police find gaps in county investigation into jail deaths

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office quietly released two state police reports last month identifying deficiencies in the sheriff's internal investigations into two recent jail deaths.

The two reports, written in February by Oregon State Police Lt. Sarah Kelly, offer a second opinion on the sheriff's investigations into Donovan Wood's suicide and Josiah Pierce's overdose. They identify what appears to be a series of oversights on the part of investigators, particularly in their scrutiny of Pierce's death.

Interviews with prison staff, in some cases, were cursory and conducted via email, Kelly noted. Objects at the scene had been moved before the arrival of the medical examiner. Kelly also noted that investigators did not document whether Pierce's cell had been searched the day before his death, which would have made sense: he had “exhibited strange behavior” and was sent to the hospital for observation.

The State Police reports were recently posted on the county's website for its new “Corrections Recommendation Project,” alongside a series of other reports criticizing the county's jail system, in which seven inmates died last year. The project, announced in April, will last a year and aims to respond to criticism and improve conditions of detention in prisons.

Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell ordered the OSP reports last summer.

“This request was intended to create another level of accountability,” said its spokesperson, Chris Liedle. “We are integrating the PSO considerations into our overall draft correctional recommendations. »