The
INSIDE
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Letters
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Jet noise controversy cont.
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Piano concert
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www.islandsweekly.com 360-376-4500
VOLUME 38, NUMBER 25 • JUNE 23, 2015
‘Systemic failures’ led to inmate’s death who falsified logs were placed on administrative leave and have since resigned. Lt. Pam McCarthy was placed on paid administrative leave pending a disciplinary review. Chief De Dennis, the jail administrator, was suspended for 30 days without pay and his continued employment is uncertain, Brown said. Farris’ father, Coupeville postman Fred Farris, said he is struggling to understand how this could have happened. He is filled with grief, anger and disbelief. “It’s not OK,” he said. “What happened is uncon-
By Jessie Stensland Whidbey News-Times editor
“Catastrophic systemic failures” at the Island County Jail led to a 25-year-old man’s death from dehydration April 8, Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said. An exhaustive investigation by Detective Ed Wallace offers an unblinking look at how negligence and errors by both corrections deputies and jail administration contributed to Keaton Farris’ tragic death. The report was released Thursday. Two corrections deputies
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Abbey Road Live!
Bring a chair or blanket!
Adults: $15 Youth: $5
Friday, July 3rd, 7 pm
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scionable.” Fred Farris and his family entrusted the jail employees to care for his son. He is agonizing over his decision not to bail out his son; people convinced him that the young man would be safer in jail since he was dealing with a mental-health issue. The family has organized a peaceful protest to be held on Father’s Day – this Sunday – as a way of sending a message to the jail and sheriff’s office. The goal, Fred Farris said, is to ensure that such a needless tragedy never happens again. He asked that people gather in the Community Greens near the library at 10 a.m. Then, everyone will march through town. He said people should wear a black T-shirt. The organizers will be handing out water bottles and selling T-shirts dedicated to Keaton Farris. Island County Coroner Robert Bishop reported that Farris died from dehydration, but malnutrition was a contributing factor. Farris was suffering from mental health issues and had been both combative and non-responsive with jail staff in three different counties, Wallace’s report indicates. The 51-page report outlines a complicated series of missteps. The water to Farris’ cell in the Island County Jail was turned off for days because he put a pillow in the toilet at one point and later
flooded his cell. He was given water during his meals but it was only a fraction of what was necessary to survive. The staff did not check on him as often as protocol dictated. The logs didn’t include necessary information and observations. Medical staff wasn’t called to examine Farris until the day before he died and the nurse didn’t relate any concerns to jail staff. “Once the nurse was notified she failed to do a proper evaluation of his condition even after Farris advised her that he was not doing well,” Wallace wrote. The detective figured out that Corrections Deputies Mark Moffitt and David Lind had falsified their logs by comparing the entries to surveillance video. At this point, it’s unclear whether anyone may face criminal charges. Brown said Wallace’s report has been sent to the Island County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Greg Banks said he will review it carefully. The sheriff said he doesn’t excuse himself from blame. He said he failed in his supervisory role over the jail. Brown said he immediately implemented changes at the 58-bed jail to ensure inmate safety and is planning on bringing in an expert in jail administration to do a comprehensive analysis of the facility, especially those confined to “safety cells.” “I want to know why the
problems were so glaring and why I didn’t see them,” he said. Brown breaks into tears when he talks about the death of the young man who once played high school football and was a track star in Coupeville, the town where the sheriff’s office resides. The sheriff said he brought Farris’ father into his office soon after the tragedy and had one of the most difficult conversations of his life. “I promised him I would investigate this as if he were my own son,” he said, struggling with his emotions. Brown said his mission is to find the truth, disseminate it to the public, repair the problems and — hopefully — regain the public trust while offering closure to Farris’ family. He said he doesn’t know if the family will sue and such an eventuality isn’t guiding his actions. Brown conceded that larger issues are at play in the death, particularly how jails are ill equipped to deal with people with mental health issues. At this point, however, Brown said he’s focusing on the problems at his jail and what he can do to fix them. Sgt. Chris Garden, a veteran member of the department with training in emergency medicine, has taken over as interim jail administrator. He will be working closely with Undersheriff Kelly Mauck. Missing from Wallace’s report, Fred Farris said, is the family’s interaction with the jail. He said he and other family members went to the jail just about every day to see Keaton Farris, but were turned away. The reasons cited were unclear, conflicting and some-
Lopez Center
times simply false, he said. He said family members would have noticed something was wrong and gotten him help; he said his son lost more than 20 pounds during his short time in jail. “It wouldn’t have happened if we were able to see him,” he said.“That’s the whole thing.” Brown said that the jail policy doesn’t allow visitations when an inmate is in crisis or at risk. He said such individuals can’t be moved to visitation rooms and visitors aren’t supposed to be brought to cells. In fact, he said, McCarthy violated the policy when she allowed Keaton Farris’ aunt to visit his cell early in his incarceration. Brown said he’s interested in looking at policies at other facilities. He said it might make sense to allow visitors to visit certain inmates at their cells, especially if it would calm them. Fred Farris said his son had a happy, normal childhood growing up on both Lopez Island and Central Whidbey. He was a goofy kid who adored his sisters. “He was someone who wanted everyone to like him,” his father said. “He went out of his way to be fun, silly.” Keaton Farris was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two years ago after experiencing a sudden onset of symptoms, his dad said. It was difficult to deal with, Fred Farris said, but he was convinced his son would figure it out and live a happy life. He noted that Keaton Farris had never been in a jail before this incident and SEE FAILURE, PAGE 8
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Sunday, June 28th, 4 pm
Grisha Krivchenia Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and original works
Tickets on sale at PSR, Lopez Bookshop, Blossom, LCCA office & lopezcenter.org Adults: $15 Youth: $5