Parents say son, who was suicidal, should have been supervised
By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
The family of a man who died in the Box Elder County jail in November has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Sheriff Lynn Yeates and a number of corrections officials.
The suit was filed Tuesday in federal court on behalf of 26-year-old Chad Peterson, who was found Nov. 10 hanging by a bed sheet in his cell.
The parents have said they are suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The suit claims that Peterson was on drugs, emotionally and mentally unstable and had written a suicide note before being booked into jail.
The lawsuit claims jail officials did not supervise Peterson and failed to provide safe and “appropriate care to prevent plaintiff from harming himself.”
The family’s lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages.
Recently released autopsy results determined Peterson committed suicide, according to the Sheriff’s Office. An internal investigation into his death concluded that it was self-inflicted and intentional.
The FBI is also investigating a civil rights complaint related to Chad Peterson’s death.
Copyright 2008 Salt Lake City Tribune