Coroner rules diabetic Pasco inmate died of a stroke

An Arkansas man who died after being arrested in Pasco last summer died of a stroke.

The Franklin County Coroner’s office concluded Raymond L. Hankins, 54, died of natural causes.

Hankins, 54, of Hot Springs, Ark, was on a road trip to California by way of the Northwest when he had a car accident near the Tri-Cities Airport and was arrested July 13.

The next day, he suffered a seizure and was sent to Lourdes Medical Center. He spent four days on a ventilator there before he died, said officials.

Sheriff Jim Raymond said Hankins had been a prisoner but he was released from custody before he was sent to the hospital.

“We are in the process of reviewing our procedures as we always do when incidents occur,” he said.

Franklin is under a settlement agreement to improve living conditions at the jail after it was sued by several inmates claiming inhumane conditions.

Police said Hankins was uncooperative and refused to take a breath test when he was arrested. His mother, Maxine Price, of Bakersfield, Calif., said her son was diabetic and used insulin to control his blood sugar.

At the time, she questioned if jailers knew about his medical condition, noting he had a necklace, wallet card and medications that should have alerted them. Sheriff Raymond previously confirmed Hankins did not receive insulin during the less than 24 hours he spent in the jail.

His mother said the car accident may have been the result of a medical emergency and that the seizure may have been diabetes-related.

Last summer, she said Hankins was on a cross-country road trip to clear his head following several personal setbacks. He had recently undergone heart surgery and had had a stroke, she said.

Hankins was headed to Bakersfield to join her and other relatives, she said.

Pierce would not say if she’s considering legal action and referred questions to her Tri-City attorney.

Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said his office had nothing to add to the coroner’s report.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Coroner rules diabetic Pasco inmate died of a stroke."