DCSO plans jail changes in wake of suicide

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is in the process of changing some of the ADA bars inside the jail after an inmate took his own life last Sunday.

The agency confirmed to NewsChannel 21 on Friday that it’s currently in the process of refitting and molding new bars that are suicide-resistant.

Corrections Capt. Michael Shults said every time there is some type of major incident, the Sheriff’s Office will review their policies and see what they can do better.

Bryan Michael Penner, 31, was being held on contempt of court charges, accused of violating a restraining order forbidding contact with Sara Gomez, 24, who was last seen leaving her workplace, the Albertsons in north Bend, late on the night of Monday, Feb. 19.

Around 8:40 p.m. last Sunday, Penner was found by another inmate after an apparent suicide attempt in a jail housing unit, sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey said Monday.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Penner hanged himself in a jail shower. Another inmate found him and pushed a button to alert staff. There is no indication of anyone else’s involvement or foul play, Hummel told NewsChannel 21.

Corrections deputies and a jail nurse responded to immediately begin life-saving efforts, officials said. They continued until Bend Fire Department medics arrived and rushed Penner to St. Charles Bend, where he died Monday at 8:11 a.m., according to Hummel.

The cause of death was determined to be suicide by asphyxiation, although a multi-agency incident team, led by Oregon State Police, will continue its investigation and forward its findings to Hummel, who said he will review the facts and the law and announce his conclusions.

Shults said this week there is no suicide-proof jail, but the agency said it can do better to give inmates fewer opportunities to commit suicide.

“We have a new side of the jail, which is two years old, many of those things have already been upgraded to new standards, and the older side that we’re using that we want to upgrade to make sure we get the best possible material in there,” Shults said.

“So we’re looking at a number of different cells. We have to keep in mind that we want to make sure they’re ADA-compliant, so somebody doesn’t slip and fall,” he added. “But at the same point, we don’t want them to be open-ended, so somebody can tie off and put something around their neck.”