Law enforcement officials are continuing their probe into the circumstances that led to the death of a Two Bridges Regional Jail inmate on Oct. 9.
According to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Murphy, inmate Alexander Farnsworth, 25 of Wiscasset, was found conscious but injured in his cell after attempting to hang myself on the morning of Oct. 3. He was taken to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta and then airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he died on Oct. 9.
Farnsworth was in jail on weapons and drug charges and had been at the facility for “a few days” said Murphy. With the results of the investigation still pending, Murphy was unable to provide a complete report of the incident.
“The investigation will look at how policies were followed,” Murphy said.
According to TBRJ Major Mark Anderson, inmates are evaluated during the booking process for any potential suicide risk.
The arresting officer will fill out a questionnaire and note any abnormal behavior in the offender. The inmate is asked a series of questions and scored on a numerical scale to determine if a risk is present. If the score is high enough, jail officers will call in a mental health crisis worker to conduct a full psychological evaluation. If nothing abnormal is observed through this process, the inmate is then placed into the general population and monitored every “half hour” said Anderson.
He said this is only the second “serious” suicide attempt to occur during the four-year history of Two Bridges.
State and local officials are expected to wrap up the investigation soon, Murphy said.
