On May 18, 2020 the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported domestic violence incident in the Leavenworth area. Based on the investigation a 69 year old (male) Leavenworth resident was arrested on a mandatory domestic violence assault charge. The subject was walking under his own power and very coherent with no visible signs of injuries, although it was noted he was highly intoxicated. At no point during the investigation or arrest of the subject was police use of force applied. A portion of the incident investigation was recorded on patrol vehicle dash cameras and most, if not all was audio recorded by recorders worn by Chelan County Deputies.
The subject was booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center on the State mandated assault charge. He was placed into a holding cell by himself. During a regular hourly check, jail staff found him on the floor unable to move his legs but still coherent. Most of the subject’s movements within the jail were video recorded.
The subject was transported to Central Washington Hospital and then transferred to Harborview Medical Center. That subject recently passed away while in the care of Harborview Medical Center.
On June 24, 2020, prior to the subject’s death the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the Chelan County Regional Justice Center contacted the Columbia Basin Investigative Team (CBIT) to provide an independent review of the investigation and the injuries of the subject. In addition to the independent review by CBIT, a non-law enforcement community member from Chelan County was assigned to the investigative team for transparency and oversight.
CBIT’s investigation is still ongoing and will be made available once it has been completed. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and Chelan County Regional Justice Center will not be able to provide further comment until CBIT’s investigation has concluded.