State police find gaps in county’s investigation of prison deaths

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office quietly released two state police reports last month identifying gaps in the sheriff’s internal investigations into two recent jail deaths.

The two reports, written in February by Oregon State Police Lieutenant Sarah Kelly, offer a second opinion on the sheriff’s investigations into Donovan Wood’s suicide and Josiah Pierce’s overdose. They identify a number of failures by investigators, particularly in the investigation into Pierce’s death.

In some cases, conversations with prison staff were cursory and conducted via email, Kelly noted. Items at the crime scene were moved before the medical examiner arrived. Kelly also noted that investigators did not document whether Pierce’s cell was searched the day before his death, which would have been logical: He “exhibited odd behavior” and was taken to the hospital for observation.

The state police reports recently appeared on the website of the county’s new Corrections Recommendation Project, along with a number of other reports criticizing the county’s prison system, where seven inmates died last year. The project, announced in April, is expected to last a year and address criticisms and improve conditions in the prisons.

Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell commissioned the OSP reports last summer.

“This request should create another level of accountability,” says spokesman Chris Liedle. “We are integrating the OSP’s considerations into our overarching project with recommendations for corrective measures.”