Two inmates in the Lincoln County Jail tried unsuccessfully to hang themselves in the past week, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday.
Both were found by jail staff, taken to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital for mental health evaluation and treatment, and are back in jail, the sheriff’s office said.
The first case involved a woman who attempted suicide by strangling herself with her shirt last week. The sheriff’s office said the woman was in a booking cell being observed with a camera and was in the midst of a mental crisis. A jail deputy saw the attempt, called for assistance, entered the cell, and removed the shirt from her neck.
The woman was taken to the hospital for mental health crisis intervention, the sheriff’s office said, and returned several days later. She is under medical care.
Three days later a man alone in a cell attempted suicide by hanging himself with jail-issued clothing attached to an upper bunk.
A supervisor doing a routine welfare check found the man unresponsive and limp. The supervisor called for assistance and a deputy lifted the man up as a second deputy cut through the clothing.
Staff was able to revive the inmate before an ambulance arrived. The man was hospitalized for a day and returned to the jail.
