Claim alleges Garfield County Jail failed to detect suicide for 18 hours

The family of a man who took his own life in a Garfield County jail last April has filed an $8.5 million tort claim over his death. They allege that the county failed to train and supervise its employees, and placed 36-year-old inmate Kyle Lara in “dungeonlike” solitary confinement, where he died by hanging on April 13, 2022.

Attorneys allege that it took jail staff in the southeastern Washington county more than 18 hours to detect Lara’s death. They say Lara blocked the view of video cameras before taking his own life, and staff continued to serve Lara multiple meals through a slot in his door.

Ryan Dreveskracht, an attorney for Lara’s family, said best practices for inmates expressing suicidal ideation as Lara did include cells with no “tie-off” points, and observation every 15 minutes.

“From A to Z this facility is being run in a way that puts pretrial detainees, so people who haven’t even been convicted of a crime, in serious danger,” Dreveskracht said.

He said the county relied on busy dispatchers rather than corrections officers to monitor inmates. Lara had been booked into jail on suspicion of domestic violence the month before, after deputies arrested him over a fight with his girlfriend.

In a press release, Rhonda Lara, Kyle’s mother, stated: “Kyle had problems, don’t we all, but he was still a person; a father, and a son. He still deserved to be treated with dignity and respect. And he didn’t get either. The County served 2 meals to his dead body. How am I going to tell his daughter that? How am I going to explain to her that this is why she doesn’t have a daddy?”

In a statement, Garfield County Auditor McKenzie Lueck acknowledged receipt of the claim.

“Because of the threatened litigation, we will not comment on the tort claim or the underlying facts giving rise to the tort claim, other than to allow us to express our condolences to Mr. Lara’s family for their loss,” Lueck said.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis or considering self-harm, call or text 988 for help. You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.