By Mike LaBella
The Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL, Mass. — A Haverhill man being transported to a state treatment facility Wednesday died while in the custody of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.
Maurice Pratt, a spokesman for that department, confirmed that Samuel Dunn, 29, of Haverhill, was on his way from Newburyport District Court to a treatment facility on the Bridgewater Correctional campus Wednesday.
Dunn was waiting to enter the Bridgewater facility in a Sheriff’s Department transport van, according to Pratt, when correctional officers noticed that Dunn was in “medical distress.”
“They immediately administered CPR and facility staff at Bridgewater also administered medical aid,” Pratt said. “The local fire department arrived on scene and transported him to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he was pronounced dead early Thursday morning.”
Pratt said the incident is under investigation by the state police and the sheriff’s department.
Carrie Kimball Monahan, a spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, said Dunn had an open case in Haverhill District Court for distribution of a Class A drug and resisting arrest, that was scheduled for trial on March 22. She said his civil commitment had nothing to do with her office.
Officials at Newburyport District Court said they could not comment on cases of civil commitments.
Bridgewater Police Lt. Thomas Schlatz told The Eagle-Tribune that on Wednesday at approximately 8 p.m., his department received a 911 call from the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center located on the Bridgewater Correctional campus, requesting ambulances for several injuries.
Other news outlets reported there was a disturbance inside the facility and that it was on lockdown, causing Dunn to have to remain in the Sheriff’s Department van for several hours.
“They did report to us that the injuries were a result of a disturbance inside of the facility,” Schlatz said. “We responded to the area, but since it was contained to inside of the facility no additional service was provided other than maintaining a perimeter of the complex.”
Darren Duarte, director of public affairs for the Massachusetts Department of Correction, told The Eagle-Tribune there was a disturbance Wednesday evening inside one of the units of the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC).
Duarte said two correctional officers were sent to a local hospital, where they were treated and released for minor injuries.
Schlatz said that at approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday, his department received another 911 call requesting an ambulance for an unresponsive party outside the MASAC facility.
“The caller also said the victim was a civil commitment,” Schlatz said in reference to Dunn. “Our supervisor responded and when he arrived the victim was already being treated by medics and DOC (Department of Corrections) personnel.”
Schlatz said the victim, who was identified as Samuel Dunn, was transported to Morton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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