Garfield County Jail inmate death under investigation

May 13—The Washington State Patrol is investigating a reported suicide in the Garfield County Jail that occurred a month ago.

Inmate Kyle L. Lara, 36, died April 13 while in custody at the Pomeroy facility. The Garfield County Sheriff's Office did not issue a news release at the time, and no information about what happened has been provided by Sheriff Drew Hyer to the public since the death.

Sgt. Darren Wright, a spokesman for WSP, said the in-custody death is being handled at the state level. The Lewiston Tribune has submitted a public records request for information about the incident, which will be answered in a timely manner, Wright said.

Garfield County Prosecutor Matt Newberg confirmed the jail death Thursday in an email to the Tribune.

"The Asotin County Coroner's Office, as well as the Washington State Patrol, accepted our request to investigate the matter," Newberg said.

Hyer said he has nothing else to add to the county prosecutor's statement.

The cause of death has not been released. The state will look into how Lara died, staffing levels at the jail, the length of time before the body was found and other details during its investigation.

Lara was facing felony charges of second-degree assault (strangulation) and unlawful imprisonment, according to court records. The charges were filed by Newberg on March 24 and formally dismissed April 18 in Garfield County Superior Court, following Lara's death.

Asotin County Coroner Lisa Webber confirmed she responded to the jail death in Pomeroy a month ago.

"I was asked by the Garfield County Coroner's office and sheriff's office to investigate an in-custody death at the Garfield County Jail," Webber said Thursday. "I'm working alongside the Washington State Patrol, and the case is still under investigation."

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com