Garfield County Jail to close after $2.5 million settlement with family of man who died in custody

Garfield County reached a $2.5 million settlement with the family of a man who was dead in the jail for more than 18 hours before being discovered in 2022.

The settlement follows the closure of the jail in March after transferring their inmates to the Whitman County Jail. The county also houses inmates at the Walla Walla County Jail.

The family of Kyle Lara, 36, agreed to the settlement and it was approved by the court Monday, according to a news release from Lara family attorney Ryan Dreveskracht.

Lara was served two meals by dispatchers who monitor the jail via surveillance camera before they noticed he had hanged himself in his cell April 14, 2022, while awaiting trial in Pomeroy.

His family filed an $8.5 million claim against the county in 2023, alleging the county housed him alone in the basement of the 1901 courthouse despite Lara expressing suicidal ideations.

The settlement is believed to be the largest municipal settlement for an in-custody suicide in state history, Dreveskracht said. The settlement also included a promise from the county not to reopen its jail unless it complies with state and federal regulations and the staff undergo state corrections training.

“We miss Kyle dearly and this settlement won’t bring him back, but we take solace in the fact that Garfield County has promised to reform its ways as a result of his death,” David Lara, Kyle’s father said in a statement. “This settlement ensures that nobody else will have to endure the inhumane conditions my son suffered in the county jail during his last days.”

The settlement will be paid by the Washington Rural Counties Insurance Program.

Garfield County Commissioner Justin Dixon said in March that Lara’s death made them re-examine the facility.

The county on the Oregon border in Eastern Washington is the smallest county in the state by population and has only one incorporated town, Pomeroy. The size of the county and its limited number of deputies makes it difficult to operate a jail at the state standard, Dixon said. According to the county’s website, the sheriff’s office has seven deputies.

“The jail standards that are needing to be met by Washington state are very strict, and so it’s tough for us with a small department to have jailers and road deputies,” Dixon said in March.

Lara’s family said they’re grateful to see change.

“I was shocked and saddened to learn not only of the inadequate mental health care at the jail but also that there was no local or state oversight of the jail,” Rhonda Lara, Kyle’s mother, said in a statement. “I appreciate that the local authorities have addressed the jail’s shortcomings and are being proactive to help prevent future tragedy.”