Internal documents and WW interviews with current and former staff reveal the jails’ struggles to adapt to a series of interconnected crises: the influx of the deadly new drug fentanyl, the increasing severity of inmates’ mental illnesses, and a staffing crisis that some say has made the jail more dangerous. That’s certainly what he’s saying in the days after his firing-and his account fits into a larger picture of a county jail system where dysfunction has turned deadly. “He’s a disgruntled employee saying, ‘I just do it how they train me.’” “ might be a great witness,” Kaplan says. On the other hand, it could provide prospective litigants with powerful ammunition. “That’s the jail covering their ass,” explains Matthew Kaplan, a litigator with experience filing wrongful death lawsuits against county jails. Whether or not staff is ultimately found negligent, imposing discipline helps protect the county from claims it violated inmates’ civil rights. The quick firing of Evanoff prior to completion of an investigation is likely an attempt to shield the county from liability. But it will be months, if not years, before the public learns what they find. O’Donnell has called in state and federal agencies to help figure out what went wrong. “The death of Clemente Pineda is an active and ongoing investigation, and we cannot comment further,” a spokesman for her office said. Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell declined an interview with WW. The county had said in a press release that Pineda was “found unresponsive in their cell” at around 4:15 and “corrections deputies immediately began lifesaving measures.” But Evanoff’s note implied that jail staff were aware of his condition far earlier. His documentation undermined the official story. In the days following Pineda’s death, Evanoff’s log message was circulated by jail staff shocked by the circumstances of the death. “He showed no signs of distress and was breathing.” The county offered no explanation, Evanoff says, but he believes he was made a scapegoat. Pineda’s was the sixth death of an inmate in Multnomah County jails since May. Jail employees rushed to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Around an hour after Evanoff’s shift ended, Pineda stopped breathing.
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