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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 49 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Farris’ death was the third at jail in 10 years Authorities say circumstances were not the same Jessie Stensland / The Record
From the left, Costa Lavigne, Tanissa Lavigne, Marco Lavigne, Jill Peterson and Rand Stamm help form a circle of protesters encircling the Island County Jail Sunday. The Lavignes traveled from Lopez Island to protest the death of their friend, Keaton Farris.
Sunday protestors surround jail Crowd chants for sheriff’s resignation By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record More than 250 people in black shirts, many holding signs, quietly marched through Coupeville on Sunday to the Island County Jail, where they held hands and formed a human chain encircling the facility. There, the protest grew in volume as people called out for justice and passing motorists honked in solidarity. Coupeville resident Fred Farris led the procession of mourners who gathered to protest the death of his son, 25-year-old Keaton Farris.
The young man was suffering from mental health issues and died in jail from dehydration in April. The protest was spurred by Detective Ed Wallace’s report on the tragedy, which was released last week. It described how the jailers’ failure to follow basic policies led to the death. The fallout from and reaction to the report continued even prior to the protest. After reading the report, Island County Public Health Director Keith Higman placed nurse Nancy Barker on paid administrative leave last week pending an investigation. Barker is a registered nurse who worked at the jail. The report states that Farris arrived at the facil-
ity while Barker was on vacation, so she didn’t see him until jailers asked her to on April 6, the day before Farris died. Farris told her through a slot in the cell door that he needed to see a medical professional and that he was “not good,” but she didn’t ask to examine him and didn’t alert staff to any concerns about his health, the report states. The nurse serves under the guidance of the chief medical officer at the jail, a physician assistant who works under a physician, according to Undersheriff Kelly Mauck. SEE PROTEST, A13
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Keaton Farris was the second person to die in the Island County Jail in 18 months and the third in nine years. Critics have pointed to the other deaths as evidence of ongoing and widespread problems at the jail. “I think they are linked,” said Becky Spraitzar, a North Whidbey resident who has been concerned about the jail since Gregory McBride died there on Jan. 26, 2014. “I think if the sheriff did a thorough investigation when McBride died he would have known there were problems. It should have been fixed.” Law-and-justice officials, however, are quick to distinguish between the cases. No problems with jail operations or policies SEE DEATHS, A14
Island, Freeland business leaders seek funding for incorporation study By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record The old drumbeat of Freeland incorporation will be heard anew this week, this time before the Island County Council of Governments.
Lobbying for money on behalf of the Freeland Chamber of Commerce, an official with the Island County Economic Development Council (or EDC) is set to make a presentation to the council of governments at the body’s next monthly meeting in Coupeville. The organizations are
requesting $70,000 for a feasibility study that would examine financial, geographical and logistical aspects of incorporation. The meeting is 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 24 in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 1 NE 6th St. The idea behind the study, according
to Ron Nelson, executive director for the EDC, is to gather facts about what it would mean if Freeland became a city, facts that would give residents an accurate picture SEE STUDY, A14