A Sweet Home man was found dead in his cell at Linn County Jail last month and his family is waiting for answers.
On May 4 at 11:50 a.m., Sweet Home police officers arrested Dustin Kyle Coughran, 36, on warrants with Oregon State Parole Board, Salem Municipal Court, Linn County Circuit Court and Lebanon Municipal Court. He was lodged at Linn County Jail.
According to Sheriff Michelle Duncan at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found Coughran in his cell and not breathing on May 8 at 8:12 p.m.
“They immediately began life-saving measures. EMS was activated and the Albany Fire Department responded, but were unable to save Coughran’s life,” she said.
LCSO called the Lane County Sheriff’s Office to do an outside investigation, Duncan said. It is common for outside agencies to take over investigation in such cases.
Friends and family of Coughran who are seeking answers attended a town hall meeting held by Duncan and Linn County Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger on Wednesday, May 27, to address their concerns.
A friend of Coughran, Brittany Hull, read from a prepared statement, saying she was there “because a human being died in your jail, not because they were sentenced to death but because they were denied proper medical care while in your custody. This is not the first instance of wrongful death due to medical negligence in Linn County Jail.”
While incarcerated, despite being an addict or a criminal, it’s the government’s responsibility to keep inmates safe and healthy with “basic human dignity,” she said. Hull believes Coughran’s death was preventable, as inmates allegedly reported they heard him “begging for medical assistance for hours.”
According to her, the medical examiner found a “herniated ulcer that ruptured causing severe internal bleeding that resulted in death.”
She described Coughran as a loving father, a man who would give his last dollar to feed someone who was hungry, and a friend who would be the first to defend someone in need of help.
“He had his demons that he fought against every day, but he did not deserve to die alone and in agony,” Hull said.
She asked for an in-depth investigation, full transparency, disciplinary action for anyone responsible and reformed policies regarding medical response.
“A jail sentence should never become a death sentence because someone’s suffering was ignored,” Hull said.
Duncan said she is unable to say much on the matter because it is still an active investigation.
Sprenger, who has served as an officer in the past, explained it’s common to not release information while investigations are ongoing because it “could taint the accuracy of the information gained through that investigation.”
Family and friends deserve facts, she said, and as information gets passed around, the truth gets distorted.
“Our goal is to treat people in the jail compassionately,” Duncan said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
At this time, it’s believed the last time an inmate died at Linn County Jail was in January 2024. Paula Skyles-Lutzi, 51, of Lebanon, had been there for three days when deputies were notified she was having medical issues, according to a press release. They found her unresponsive and began CPR while calling for paramedics. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation. The New Era is waiting for updates on the case.
In 2019, inmate Joseph William Hadley, 46, of Albany, died from an apparent suicide. He was found by corrections deputies alone in his cell while they were conducting cell checks. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
According to news reports, inmate Samantha Jeanne Robinson, 42, of Lebanon, was lodged at Linn County Jail in 2014 shortly after being hospitalized with bacterial pneumonia. While jailed, her condition worsened and she tried to get medical attention, but, according to her cell mate, jail guards mocked her and accused her of faking it. After eight days in jail, she stopped breathing. Attorney Daniel R. Rayfield secured a settlement with Linn County for the family.