The Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office has reported that a woman died in jail last weekend.<\/p>\n
In a 206-word press release issued on Tuesday, Oct. 27, officials stated that detention officers were conducting inmate checks on Saturday, Oct. 24, when alerted that Dani Miller, 47, was unresponsive and not breathing inside her cell. She was pronounced dead at the jail at an undisclosed time.<\/p>\n
Authorities stated that an initial autopsy indicated there were no signs of trauma. The cause and manner of death remain pending toxicology results and a forensic pathologist\u2019s final report.<\/p>\n
According to officials, Miller was arrested by Cortez police about 12:19 p.m. on Oct. 23, and jailed on two outstanding warrants for failure to appear on assault and harassment charges. When booked, Miller was highly intoxicated, registering .289 on a Breathalyzer at the jail.<\/p>\n
With a blood alcohol level between .25 and .30, people reportedly display general inertia, near total loss of motor functions, little response to stimuli, inability to stand or walk, vomiting and incontinence. They may also lose consciousness or fall into a stupor.<\/p>\n
New medical protocol needed?<\/p>\n
Current Montezuma County jail guidelines only require individuals with a .3 BAC level or higher to receive a medical clearance before they are booked into jail. Officials have confirmed that Miller didn\u2019t receive medical treatment before she was jailed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at lowering that BAC level,\u201d Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Nowlin said he was still working to review and adopt hundreds of new operating procedures and guidelines, indicating a new protocol to accept medically cleared inmates at the jail remained under review. When taking office, he promised voters that he would revamp department policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want any deaths in the jail,\u201d Nowlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s not right.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last half of 2013, three other inmates died while in custody at the county jail, including a 47-year-old Cortez man and a 38-year-old Arizona man who were highly intoxicated and cleared by hospital staff. The third death was an apparent suicide. The 2013 incidents occurred before Nowlin took office.<\/p>\n
Asked to explain how the two men in 2013 could have been deemed healthy enough to be jailed, Nowlin was quick to respond.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospital cleared them when they shouldn\u2019t be cleared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Southwest Memorial Hospital spokesperson Haley Leonard declined to comment regarding hospital protocols for clearing intoxicated individuals in government custody.<\/p>\n
Sheriff calls for detox center<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Nowlin made another vow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to do everything I can to get a detox center here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Reiterating that the jail wasn\u2019t an approved health-care facility with medically trained staff, Nowlin said a local detox center would make the community safer and more viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a solution to the problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care recommends that inmate deaths be reviewed to determine the appropriateness of clinical care; whether policy changes are needed; procedures or practices are warranted; and to identify issues that require further study.<\/p>\n
Remembering Miller<\/p>\n
A friend and Salvation Army volunteer in Moab described Miller as a \u201cbeautiful\u201d woman, despite problems with substance abuse and mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cDani had a really special quality,\u201d said Sara Melnicoff.<\/p>\n
Miller, who reportedly had family in Denver, lived a productive life while in Moab, was employed at a recycling center and had a home, Melnicoff said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to help her,\u201d said Melnicoff.<\/p>\n
According to Melnicoff, Miller\u2019s life started to unravel in Utah after she fell victim to domestic violence. It\u2019s unknown why she relocated to Cortez.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tragic life with a tragic ending,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n