Deer Ridge prison inmate dies

Sandy man was serving sentence for abuse

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Sandy man serving a 90-month prison term on an abuse conviction died Tuesday morning at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution east of Madras, the Oregon Department of Corrections reported.

David L. Letcher, 60, entered state custody in September of 2014 after he pleaded guilty and no contest to abuse charges, court records show. The department said his earliest release date would have been April 21, 2021.

As with all in-custody deaths, Oregon State Police were notified and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death. His family has been notified, the agency said.

Deer Ridge, the state’s largest minimum-security prison, currently houses 947 minimum-custody inmates.