One Whatcom County Jail inmate died Wednesday, March 13, and a second was hospitalized after apparent opioid overdoses, the Bellingham Police Department (BPD) said Thursday.
Jail staff found Andre Haas, 28, and an unidentified inmate unresponsive in their shared cell around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, BPD Public Information Officer Megan Peters said.
Deputies and medical staff at the jail administered naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose, along with CPR, but Haas could not be revived, according to information from the sheriff’s office and Bellingham police.
The second man, also 28, was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for further treatment. There is no update on his status as of Thursday.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the individual who passed away today. We pray for their comfort during this time of sorrow and pain,” Sheriff Donnell Tanksley said in a sheriff’s office news release Wednesday. “It is also hard for those who were unable to save this life. The staff here mourn, too.”
Court records show Haas, 28, was in jail awaiting an April 1 trial on three separate cases. His charges included distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, domestic violence, burglary, extortion and stalking.
Wednesday’s incident is being investigated by the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART) as a controlled substance homicide, Peters and the sheriff’s office said.
“BPD believes that all involved parties are identified,” Peters said. “Investigation into the cause and circumstances of the death are ongoing.”
Tanksley said in the sheriff’s release that his office is reviewing the procedures meant to keep drugs out of the jail.
“We are working through the protocols in place and commit to support the investigation — and, more immediately, to ensure no illicit drugs remain in our facilities,” the sheriff said.
The sheriff’s office said the outcome of the LEMART investigation will be made public.
Before Wednesday, the most recent death in the county jail was Nov. 11, 2023, due to natural causes, sheriff’s office Public Information Officer Deb Slater said.
Thirteen individuals overdosed in the jail in nine separate incidents in 2023, Slater said. So far this year, jail staff has responded to four overdose incidents involving five people.
This story was updated at 12:28 p.m. and again at 1:45 p.m. March 14 with additional information.
Ralph Schwartz is a former CDN local government reporter; send tips and information to newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
