BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) - Two former Island County jail guards have been sentenced for their roles in what many call a systemic failure by Island County Jail staff that led to the 2015 dehydration death of a 25-year-old inmate.
The Bellingham Herald reports 55-year-old David Wayne Lind and 61-year-old Mark Edward Moffitt pleaded guilty Tuesday in Whatcom County Superior Court to falsifying the jail logs that to make it appear they checked on Keaton Farris more than they did.
In March 2015, Farris was charged with identity theft in San Juan County, later missed a court appearance and was arrested on a felony warrant in Snohomish County. Farris arrived at the Island County Jail in Coupeville March 26.
While there, Farris exhibited signs of a mental health crisis and he died in his cell of dehydration and malnutrition April 7.
The men were sentenced to five days in jail, with 85 days of community service.
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Information from: The Bellingham Herald, http://www.bellinghamherald.com
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