Davis County Jail inmate dies by suicide

By Staff | Apr 26, 2023

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner file photo

A look inside Davis County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019.

FARMINGTON — An inmate at the Davis County Jail in Farmington is dead after hanging himself in his cell, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office said.

The inmate, who wasn’t named, was found hanging last Friday in his cell and deputies and medical staff were able to restore his pulse. He was transported to a hospital but later died, the sheriff’s office said in the press release Tuesday. The man was in his 30s.

“We are grieved any time anyone attempts suicide,” Chief Deputy Arnold Butcher said in a statement. “It is always difficult to convey the concern and sadness we all feel when something like this happens. We encourage anyone struggling with mental health concerns to reach out for help. We have and will continue to offer mental health support to both our inmates and staff members.”

Per policy, the incident will be the focus of internal and outside reviews. “Our Life Safety Committee, an advisory board composed of staff and citizens, will also review the incident to see if any additional steps could be taken in the future,” the sheriff’s office said.

Utah lawmakers passed legislation in the 2023 session, House Bill 259, creating a grant program meant to help interested counties build suicide barriers in their jail facilities. The focus would be on building barriers to keep inmates from jumping from from the second floors of jail cell blocks. No funding is appropriated in the measure, signed into law in March by Gov. Spencer Cox.