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| Suicide at Maine Jail is State's Sixth This Year |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/05/2002 |
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An inmate at the Penobscot County Jail hanged himself Monday, marking the state corrections system's sixth suicide this year. Gardner Whalen, 37, of Argyle, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Hospital after efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, the Bangor Daily News reported. Whalen reportedly hanged himself with a bed sheet shortly after noon, just minutes after an officer checked his cell, said acting Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross. Officers were alerted by an inmate who discovered Whalen hanging from a sheet that had been placed over the top of his cell door. ''Preliminarily, it appears that there was no way to predict this event,'' Ross said. He said Whalen, who turned himself into the Bangor jail Sunday night, had been screened, like all new inmates, for mental illness and suicidal tendencies. Whalen was serving a 60-day sentence for night hunting and possession of a firearm by a felon, Ross said. The inmate's death comes after a call by the state Criminal Justice Committee for a special session to investigate a rash of jail suicides. Since April, inmates have committed suicide at the Waldo County Jail, the Kennebec County Jail, the Somerset County Jail and the Maine State Prison. Leadership in the state Senate put the committee's request on hold, citing the state's budget woes. While the other five inmates apparently suffered from mental illnesses, there is no indication that Whalen did, according to Ross. Whalen had seen a visiting nurse Monday morning and gave no indication of any problems, the sheriff said. Ross said an investigation into Whalen's death will continue, but initial findings suggest that the jail staff followed protocol. The suicide was the first at the jail since 1985, Ross said. |
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