Lincoln County to pay $2.85 million in inmate’s death

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The estate of a mentally ill inmate who died in a Lincoln County jail has reached a $2.85 million settlement in a federal civil rights case.
 
Bradley Thomas had bipolar disorder and died in his cell in 2015 after refusing to eat, drink or take his medications during a severe depressive episode.
 
Jennifer Middleton, a Thomas family attorney, said Tuesday that he was found dead in his cell the day after a Lincoln County judge ordered him committed to a mental hospital, but there were no beds available.
 
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene says an autopsy determined Thomas died of dehydration. Water had been shut off to his cell.
 
Leslie Anne Lopez, an attorney for Lincoln County, did not immediately return a call or e-mail seeking comment.