Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Snohomish County to pay $600,000 in man’s jail death

Associated Press

EVERETT – Snohomish County has agreed to pay $600,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a mentally ill man who died in jail in 2012.

The Daily Herald reported that the family of 59-year-old Bill Williams sued the county, alleging jail staff failed to provide adequate medical care.

The County Council approved the settlement earlier this week. The county did not admit wrongdoing.

Williams died 17 minutes after he was brought to the jail on Sept. 14, 2012. A medical examiner concluded that a struggle with corrections officers led Williams to suffer from excited delirium, a form of mania that follows severe physical agitation. His death was ruled a homicide.

Prosecutors said in court papers that the officers used appropriate force given their safety concerns.

Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe declined to file criminal charges against the five corrections officers who struggled to restrain Williams. He said the officers’ actions were within the boundaries of the law.