Polk County to pay $86,500 after jail let man attempt suicide twice in three days
Polk County is paying $86,000 to the family of a detainee who died by suicide in the county jail four years ago, according to settlement documents.
Guarionex Rodriguez Jr., 27, died in hospice care several weeks after trying to kill himself in the jail on Nov. 24, 2019. His suicide attempt came just three days after a previous attempt to end his own life.
Despite this, his mother contends in her 2021 lawsuit, jail officials did not take any special precautions or put any monitoring in place to prevent his Nov. 24 suicide.
County officials declined after the suit was filed to say whether jail suicide prevention policies were followed in Rodriguez's case. The jail has several options it can impose for potentially suicidal detainees, including placement in a "safety cell" to be checked every 15 minutes, or more infrequent 30-minute checkups in a normal cell.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez's injuries were not discovered for nearly an hour after the last check on him.
$86,000 for Guarionex Rodriguez Jr.'s family
The case was set for trial in April 2024 but now is on track for dismissal. According to a signed settlement agreement viewed by the Register, Rodriguez's mother, Kimberly Vandermark, has agreed to dismiss all claims against the county and jail healthcare contractor Wellmark in exchange for a payment of $86,500.
Polk County Representatives declined to comment on the case beyond the settlement document. An attorney for Rodriguez's family likewise declined to comment.
It's not clear, in the wake of the lawsuit, whether the jail has made any changes to prevent similar suicides going forward.
According to the complaint, Sheriff Kevin Schneider apologized to the family after Rodriguez's injuries and promised his office was "in the process of making some policy changes so this won’t happen again," according to the complaint, but county officials did not answer questions this week about what changes, if any, have been implemented.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
Need help with suicidal thoughts?
988 is the three-digit dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline is answered by someone at a crisis center closest to your location. Other resources are available online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. Text SAVE to 741741. Texting with a trained counselor is free at all hours and confidential.
The Iowa Department of Public Health has a website, yourlifeiowa.org, with information and resources regarding mental health, gambling and alcohol and drug abuse. The program also has 24-hour help available by calling 855-581-8111 or texting 855-895-8398.
School counselors and family physicians can assess children's struggles and help families find treatment.
Calling 211 will connect people with social services resources, including mental health counseling.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jail suicide lawsuit settled by Polk County for $86,500
