Inmate Died After Severe Asthma Attack But Inmates Say Deputies Wasted Time Before Treatment

A severe asthma attack caused the death of a 26-year-old jail inmate, the county coroner said Thursday.

Randy L. Cox died shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday after collapsing at the Kootenai County Jail, where he was being held on charges of grand theft and attempting to elude police.

Autopsy results show Cox did not suffer any trauma and instead died of natural causes, said Coroner Robert West.

But jail inmates, who say they saw Cox struggling to breathe, insist jail deputies wasted several crucial minutes before helping Cox.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, Cox told deputies he was having trouble breathing, according to a report from the Idaho Criminal Investigation Bureau.

Cox was taken from his cell to the booking area of the jail to be kept in an observation cell. But within minutes of his transfer, Cox collapsed, stopped breathing and had no pulse.

Deputies used CPR on Cox until emergency workers arrived and rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Sheriff’s officials said Cox was not being held in restraints at the time of his death.

Jail inmate Ken Amy said he had met Cox in the Idaho State Penitentiary. Cox had been sent to prison in 1987 for grand theft.

Amy said he was able to watch Cox Wednesday as he frantically struggled to breathe in his cell across the way.

He said Cox pushed the emergency button in his cell to summon deputies.

But Cox was not wearing his shirt at the time.

“They told him they weren’t going to treat him or do anything until he had his top on,” said Amy, who is in jail on petty theft and parole violation charges. “He was obviously choking to death, and they wouldn’t do anything for him.”

Another inmate, who would not give his name for fear of retribution, said Cox was kneeling on the floor, bobbing up and down, trying to inhale. The inmate said deputies waited about 10 minutes as Cox struggled to put his shirt on before they moved him to the booking area.

But West said it is difficult to tell the difference between a normal asthma attack and one that could prove fatal.

West said a fatal form of asthma attack caused Cox’s lungs to hyperinflate, preventing him from inhaling fresh air.

Cox had been treated for asthma in the past. West said. Amy said Cox was being held in a medical cell.

Sheriff’s Lt. Sam Grubbs said he could not release further details of Cox’s death or comment on the inmates’ accusations until the investigation is completed.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department has asked the Idaho Criminal Investigation Bureau to look into the death in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

A state investigator said he plans to interview inmates who witnessed the incident.

A former jail inspector for the Idaho Sheriff’s Association said the Kootenai County Jail has received high marks in the past for inmate medical care. “I never found anything that sent up a red flag in the health-care area,” said Judy Felton, former jail standards coordinator.

, DataTimes