Update | Franklin jail officer says he checked on inmate before he died. Video shows otherwise

A Franklin County corrections deputy was fired after he lied about checking on a inmate who died in February, said Sheriff Jim Raymond.

The deputy, who was on probation at the time, wrote on his logs that he looked in on Thomas D. Franklin, 57, while he was under medical observation, but security video showed otherwise, Raymond told the Tri-City Herald this week.

Raymond said he fired the officer, who was a probationary employee, and an investigation is ongoing to determine if anyone else violated policies. The name of the officer was not released but the Herald has requested his name under the state Public Records Act.

Franklin was the the fourth inmate to die in the Franklin County jail since November. The most recent was July 1.

Raymond said the investigations are continuing into all the cases, but he wanted to give an update this week to be transparent about the progress of the inquiries.

The sheriff’s and prosecutor’s offices are working together to make sure employees followed all county policies, he said.

“Keep in mind that some details will not be discussed due to privacy concerns of the families and friends affected by these deaths as well as ongoing investigations,” Raymond said a news release.

While the sheriff has made claims about other jail staff not living up to his expectations in connection with the deaths, this is the first person who was fired because of the investigations.

Still, Raymond maintains the deputy’s actions didn’t lead to Franklin’s death.

In February, Franklin had a medical emergency in the jail that led to his death, according to the sheriff’s report.

Franklin was booked into the jail on Feb. 18 on warrants from Umatilla County, Ore., and was given a standard medical screening as part of the jail booking process, the sheriff’s office said.

Based on that screening, he was under medical observation. He was returning from court on Feb. 22 when he was sent to the jail’s medical staff because of “observations of him being in pain and discomfort.”

Shortly after medical staff checked him, Franklin collapsed in his cell. He was rushed to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., where he died the next day.

Coroner officials determined Franklin died because of medical condition that he had before his arrest.

“It is unknown if Mr. Franklin knew he had this medical (condition) or was being treated for it,” according to the sheriff’s report.

Other inmate deaths

Three other inmates also have died in the jail in the past eight months.

▪ On July 1, murder suspect Giovanni Magaña was found dead in his cell just after midnight. The coroner’s officer determined that his death was a suicide caused by hanging.

The sheriff’s office is still investigating his death.

Magaña was accused of stabbing his 67-year-old mother to death in July 2020 after her body was discovered inside her son’s room. He was allegedly “stoic and was non-verbal” when police interviewed him.

He was evaluated by Eastern State Hospital and spent 90 days in treatment early in 2021. Shortly before his death, the prosecutors and defense attorneys were preparing to hold a hearing about his competency.

Magaña was separated from other inmates because of previous behavioral issues.

▪ Faviola Valenzuela, 42, of Othello, was brought to the jail by Pasco police on March 12 for allegedly destroying property. She was not cooperative as she was being booked, according to the sheriff’s office.

“While attempting to secure her in an observation holding cell, deputies were required to physically move her as she resisted them,” the sheriff’s office reported.

She was still being monitored on March 15 when another inmate told deputies at 11:30 a.m. that something was wrong with her, Raymond said. A corrections deputy then found her dead.

An autopsy found that she died from lethal methamphetamine intoxication.

▪ Last November, Jesus Alejandro Payan, 23, had been in Franklin County for 17 days when deputies found him dead in his cell on Nov. 21. At the time, he was housed by himself in a COVID isolation cell.

“Alex” Payan, who went by the nickname “ASAP,” had turned himself after police were looking for him in connection with the stabbing of a 19-year-old man.

At the time, Pasco police believed he was homeless and often seen riding his bicycle around downtown.

When deputies found him in his cell, he had some bedding around his neck. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled his death a suicide by strangulation.

The investigation found Payan had told people in the community that he planned to hurt himself, but no one shared that information to jail staff.

This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.