DA report documents jail hanging

No charges result, but policy changes

The Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office has released a report on an inmate who hanged herself in the County Jail last July.

Crista J. Fallin, 46, was found “motionless on the floor with (a) telephone cord wrapped around her neck,” in a visitation room at the jail on July 1 after she had been arrested following a domestic dispute, the report states.

Fallin was awaiting a mental health evaluation after jail staff members were notified she was suicidal, the report states.

“After an exhaustive review of all documents and interviews with the appropriate personnel no evidence was found to exist which would support criminal charges against any jail staff,” said DA Jon Alexander. “Tragically, the two officers who were manning the entire jail that (day) did not anticipate the use of a phone cord for such a purpose.”

The incident will result in a new policy in which suicidal inmates will not be placed in the room, said Sheriff Dean Wilson.

At about 1:25 p.m. that day, the Sheriff’s Office was called to respond to a domestic dispute between Fallin and her sisters. When a deputy arrived, Fallin became combative with him and kicked him twice in the groin, the report states.

She was eventually subdued and transported to the jail.

While she was being booked into jail, “Ms. Fallin stated she had a history of feeling suicidal and that she was presently suicidal,” the report states.

Mental health officials were notified of Fallin’s condition at 2:14 p.m., the report states.

She later recanted her suicidal statement, but jail staff continued  the mental health evaluation process, the report states.

She was placed in a “suicide smock” to discourage her from harming herself, then sent to a booking cell near the front of the jail, the report states.

Fallin was moved to an inmate visitation room around 3:35 p.m. after a Crescent City Police Officer  requested use of the cell Fallin was in to house a person who was combative, the report states.

About a half-hour later, surveillance video shows Fallin wrapping a 29-inch telephone cord around her neck and sliding off her stool, slumping to the floor, the report states.

At 4:10 p.m., a mental health representative arrived and a few minutes later a jail officer went to notify Fallin, but found her motionless instead, the report states. She was found 11 minutes after the video shows her tying the cord around her neck, the report states.

The officer removed the cord, applied CPR and called for an ambulance, the report states.

Fallin was still unconscious and unresponsive when she was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital at 4:47 p.m. She was then flown to Mercy Medical Center, where she was taken off life support two days later.

The cause of death was concluded to be lack of oxygen to the brain  “due to near hanging,” the report states.

The report states it was the first time someone attempted to commit suicide by using a phone cord in the jail, the report states.

As a result, inmates who are considered suicidal will not be housed in the visitation room any longer, said Sheriff Wilson.

“It wasn’t one of those things we assessed someone being about to accomplish or utilize,” said Wilson about the phone cord.

Inmates awaiting an emergency evaluation should be housed in a specially designated area with constant supervision by trained staff, according to the county’s jail policy.

Fallin was placed in the visitation room because there weren’t any holding cells available, though  she was placed in the front of the jail to provide contact on a more constant basis, Wilson said.

“It’s a tragedy and we regret anybody’s passing, especially someone who wants to commit suicide,” said Wilson. “It’s always difficult when they feel that’s the only option they have.”

Reach Anthony Skeens at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it