Claim: Franklin County negligence led to the death of former jail inmate

A claim expected to be filed Thursday alleges negligence by medical personnel, police and corrections staff led to the death of a 26-year-old man last year at the Franklin County jail.

The claim is seeking more than $30 million in damages for the wrongful death of Mitchell Campbell, a schizophrenic man who died July 12, 2014, in a pool of his own blood.

Staff at Lourdes Medical Center, the Pasco Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are named as defendants. The claim seeks at least $10 million in damages from Lourdes.

“These defendants had a duty under Washington state law to provide appropriate and necessary medical care, but negligently, carelessly (and) recklessly failed to do so,” wrote Yakima attorney George P. Trejo Jr.

A spokeswoman from Lourdes told the Herald that officials had not yet reviewed the claim. Pasco police declined to talk about the claim or the allegations in it. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office could not be reached for comment.

The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled Campbell died from an apparent seizure caused by drug and alcohol abuse. Prosecutors reviewed the case and agreed with a medical examiner’s report the death was because of natural causes.

Campbell was taken to jail after police found him naked and confused in Sylvester Park, following his release from Lourdes hours earlier, police reports show. Pasco Officer Robert Harris used a wheelchair to push Campbell to the park after he caused a disturbance at the hospital.

Campbell spent a little more than 48 hours in custody before he was found alone and bloodied in his cell with a head wound, reports show.

Members of the Campbell family have questioned how the case has been handled, saying more should have been done to prevent their loved one’s death.

Trejo said he gathered information used in the claim from medical records, police reports and family statements.

Campbell had an ongoing battle with meth and alcohol, and had become disruptive before at hospitals while under the influence, his family said. He would routinely yell for Jesus and God to “save him” while high on meth.

Campbell was taken to Lourdes’ emergency room July 9 after he used meth and started acting strange under a Pasco overpass, the claim said. While in the emergency room, Campbell was yelling “help me Jesus, help me Jesus.”

A doctor at Lourdes and a mental health professional determined Campbell should go to detox, but while waiting to be transferred he had a series of seizures, the claim said. Campbell was instead admitted to the hospital about 4:40 p.m.

Campbell was given anti-psychotic medication and a care plan was developed, which included anti-anxiety medication, monitoring for seizures and an eventual release to detox, the claim said.

During his time at the hospital, Campbell continued to act erratically, became verbally abusive towards staff and was disruptive, the claim said. At one point, Campbell urinated on his bed and the floor.

“Mitchell was on his bed on his hands and knees, perspiring profusely, as he repeatedly said, ‘save me Jesus,’ ” the claim said. “(A doctor) ordered (an anti-psychotic medication) to be administered in an attempt to calm Mitchell, who was obviously delusional.”

Campbell’s behavior become so bad that medical staff called police about 11:20 p.m., the claim said. A doctor consulted with a Pasco police officer named Harris, and they determined Campbell should leave the hospital.

Trejo says Campbell should not have been released from the hospital because of his seizures, erratic behavior and drug use. In the claim, Trejo called the decision to release Campbell “egregious.”

Staff put Campbell in a hospital gown, and Harris wheeled him to nearby Sylvester Park, where Campbell was left alone, the claim said. No one in Campbell’s family was contacted.

About 5 a.m., Harris was called back to the park after a Lourdes staff member spotted Campbell naked and acting strange, police reports said. Police arrested Campbell for lewd conduct.

“Mitchell responded that he didn’t know where he was or where his clothes were,” the claim said. “He said he didn’t know how he ended up naked. Once again, it was or should have been clear to Officer Harris that Mitchell was suffering from mental health problems and needed help.”

Before the claim was released Wednesday, little was known about what treatment, if any, Campbell received while at the jail.

Franklin County prosecutors have said little about the case, and released few details in December about their review of the death.

Jail staff was aware of Campbell’s medical history, what medication he had been given at Lourdes and that he suffered seizures at the hospital, the claim said.

It appears Campbell received no medication, mental health evaluation or medication while in custody, the claim said.

Campbell’s father tried to drop off medication while his son was in custody, but jail staff didn’t accept it because it wasn’t properly packaged, records show. Jail officials have no record of an attempt to drop off medication.

There are reports from jail staff, and at least one inmate, of Campbell asking for medical attention and acting strange inside his cell, the claim said.

“(Mitchell) had been asking to be returned to the hospital and be given his medications,” the claim said. “It was clear that Mitchell required help, but the Franklin County Jail refused to provide the same.”

An inmate housed next to Campbell during his stay at the jail told the Herald that Campbell repeatedly cried out for help, banged his head against a wall and begged corrections officers for medical attention.

The inmate asked not to be named for fear of retaliation from law enforcement. The Herald confirmed through independent documents and lawyer statements that the inmate was housed next to Campbell.

“He was telling them he was going to die and they kept telling him the same thing over and over,” said the inmate, who alleges jail staff refused to give Campbell medical attention. “He was crying all night, begging to go to the hospital and nobody gave a damn about him.”

Campbell was pronounced dead at 12:37 p.m., shortly after an inmate found him lying on the floor of his cell. An autopsy report showed there was a 2-inch abrasion and cut on Campbell’s head.

A lawsuit filed last year by a legal-aid organization in Seattle, which alleged inmates at the jail were grossly mistreated, claimed Campbell was in a restraint chair while in custody. The lawsuit was filed while former Sheriff Richard Lathim was in office.

A witness told the Herald that Campbell was desperately pleading for help, intermittently screaming, shrieking and whimpering.

The Campbell family has remained adamant during the past year that the death should have never happened and there needs to be more done to help the mentally ill.

“They have sleepless nights, and their days continue to be interrupted by grief,” the claim said. “They knew and continue to realize that Mitchell was subjected to inhumane and barbaric practices.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Claim: Franklin County negligence led to the death of former jail inmate ."