PagcA2
(Effe ^flortlanh (f)bsrruer
May 14. 2003
P olice __________________________
Multnomah County Sued Over Inmate Overdose
Family claims
methadone drug
substituted for
chronic pain
medicine
The m edication substitution was
m ade o v er B accelleri’s objections,
according to the com plaint, w hich
w as filed T hursday in M ultnom ah
C ounty C ircuit Court
A ccording to the M ultnom ah
C ounty H ealth D epartm ent, w hich
runs th e ja il’s m edical services, its
investigation into the death un
covered no reason to reprim and
(A P )— M ultnom ah C ounty has health w orkers.
been hit w ith a S l .3 m illion law suit
C ounty officials declined to dis
by the fam ily o f a jail inm ate w ho cuss other findings, saying they
died o f a m ethadone o verdose in fell under m edical confidentiality
his cell last month.
protections.
The family ofN ick Baccelleri said
W hen B accelleri checked him
jail health em ployees substituted s e lf in to serve a 30-day sentence
his regular m edication for a chronic for drunken driving on the m orning
pain problem w ith substantial do s o f M arch 31, he brought the p ain
ages o f m ethadone.
killer O xyC ontin and other medical
prescriptions, according to the law
suit. Few er than 48 hours later, he
w as found dead in his cell at the
Inverness jail.
He had no experience taking
m ethadone, a synthetic opiate that
p ig ,” he said.
T he law suit said th e ja il’s m edi
cal sta ff failed to adequately m oni
tor B accelleri’s reaction to the drug,
w hich w ould have allow ed doctors
to detect an adverse reaction.
What (health workers) really did
was make Nick a guinea pig.
-M ic h a e l Shinn, attorney for thefamily of Nick Baccelleri, man whodled
of a methadone overdose in Multnomah County's Inverness Jail
helps control addiction and pain,
said M ichael Shinn, the fam ily’s
lawyer.
In refusing to give Baccelleri
O xyContin, “w hatfhealth workers)
really did w as m ake Nick a guinea
Baccelleri, 48, suffered from sev
eral m edical problem s. H ischronic
pain, Shinn said, dated to a car
w reck in G uatem ala 20 years ago,
w hen he w as w ith a church group
aiding com m unities after an earth
quake.
His injuries from the crash w ere
so severe that doctors w ere forced
to place m etal rods in his legs and
arm s, Shinn said. The pain never
w ent aw ay and B accelleri w as
heavily dependent on O xyC ontin,
Shinn said.
On the night o f April 1, Baccelleri
called his m other from a phone in
side the Inverness jail, Shinn said.
He w as distraught. He w as upset
that the jail health w orkers had re
fused to give him his O xyC ontin
and feared that he w as taking the
wrong kind o f medicine, Shinn said.
Shortly before 7 a.m . the next
day, a nurse walked into Baccel leri ’s
cell to give him an insulin shot for
diabetes and found him dead.
Shinn said Dr. Jim Bane, the ja il’s
medical director, made a tearful apol
ogy when he later visited the Port
land hom e o f the inm ate's mother.
S h in n s a id D r. B a n e to ld
B accelleri's mother, Evelyn, his sis
ter and brother in-law that county
officials had told him not to m ake
the visit.
“ But he told them , ’I c an ’t live
w ith this and I c a n ’t sleep,” ’ Shinn
said. "H e show ed up w ith a chap
lain. He w as crying.”
L illia n S h ir le y , th e h e a lth
dep artm en t’s director, confirm ed
that Dr. B ane visited the fam ily but
said she d id n 't know w hat he told
them.
Dr. Bane declined to discuss the
visit.
T exas D ru g B u st D eb acle In v e stig a te d
Advertise
r 1*^1
The
Portland
Observer
call
candlelight vigil on July 22, 2001 in Tulia, Texas commemorated the town's infamous drug raid. Tulia NAACP President Freddie Brooking (left), speaking at the rally, has a son
serving a lengthy prison sentence. The crowd rallied peacefully and carried signs declaring an abuse o f justice. A young girl wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the protest
organization's title "Friends o f Justice."
(A P )— The chairm an o f the H ouse Judiciary
C o m m ittee w ill investigate a drug probe that
snared d ozens o f black residents o f Tulia in
1999, based on testim ony o f a now -discredited
police officer, a law m aker said.
M ean w h ile, the ju d g e w h o c o n d u c te d e v i
d en tiary h earin g s on fo u r o f the c o n v ic tio n s
w ro te in a co u rt filin g th at it w o u ld be a
trav esty o f ju s tic e for them to stan d b ecau se
o f u n d erco v er offic e r T om C o le m a n 's “ b la
tan t p e rju ry .”
C olem an’s w ork led to the arrest o f 46 people,
39 o f w hom were black, in July 1999. Civil rights
advocates have claim ed the busts w ere racially
m otivated. C olem an is white.
N o decision has been m ade on w hat kind o f
inquiry Republican Rep. Jam es Sensenbrenner
w ill do, com m ittee spokesm an Je ff Lungren
said after the announcem ent by Rep. John
C onyers o f M ichigan.
The probe, announced last W ednesday at a
forum on Capitol Hill, cam e at the request o f
C onyers and tw o other Congressional Black
Caucus members, all Democrats: Reps. Sheila Lee
Jackson o f Houston and C harles Rangel ofN ew
Y ak.
T ulia resident Freddie B rookins Sr., w hose
son is in the fourth year o f 20-year sentence,
said he w elcom ed congressional scrutiny.
“ I view it as a great step in the right direc
tion,” he said.
Retired state D istrict Judge Ron C hapm an
ruled during evidentiary hearings in M arch that
C olem an lacked credibility as a w itness and
said he w ould recom m end that 38 convictions
be overturned and new trials ordered.
N o L e a d s in J a m M a s te r J a y S la y in g
(A P)— The city and m usic industry have
offered m ore than $60,000 in rew ards for infor
m ation on the slaying o f rap legend Jam M aster
Jay. But nearly six m onths after his death, the
identity o f his killer and the m otive behind the
shooting rem ain a m ystery.
New York Police D epartm ent sources close
to the case concede the investigation has been
ham pered by dead-end leads and uncoopera
tive w itnesses.
“N o one in that industry w ants to be a rat,”
said one o f the sources, w ho spoke on condi
tion o f anonym ity.
“W e 're not at a standstill," countered police
Lt. A lfred M urphy. “W e ’re still hopeful.”
Som e blam e that lack o f cooperation on
heavy-handed police tactics.
The 37-year-old victim, w hose real nam e was
At home with Family.
Rap legend Jam
Master Jay, a.k.a.
Jason Mizell,
member o f hip hop
pioneers Run-DMC.
Nearly six months
after his execution-
style slaying, the
identity o f the killer
and the motive
remain a mystery.
(AP Photo)
Jason Mizell, w as killed on O ct. 30 by a gunm an
- m asked and w earing a black sw eat suit and
black hat - w ho fired a single .40-caliber bullet
into his head in the lounge o f his recording
studio in Q ueens.
(503) 823-HELP
CRIME
STOPPERS
111S.W . 2nd Avenue.
Portland, Oregon 97204
Turning work into play. Connecting on a
different level just by changing scenery.
Hanging out ‘til dark. Outdoor bliss. Home!
Over three generations of homeowners have
trusted American Family Insurance for the
sound advice and committed service that
helps them live life to the fullest. Give us a
call or visit www.amfam.com today. Discover
the peace of mind of knowing Family's
always at home protecting what matters most
to you. American Family Insurance.
Check your local telephone directory for
the agent nearest you.
û
Aiiwncan Farwfy AM uM Inaurane» Company and da Subantviaa
AMERICAN FAMILY
S U R A N C
E
Men Wanted in Fast Food Armed Robberies
Portland Police Bureau Robbery Detectives,
in cooperation with C rim e Stoppers, are asking
for the p u b lic's help in identifying and appre
hending three m en involved in a series o f
“take-over-style" arm ed robberies at Portland
fast food restaurants.
The crim es occurred at 10 locations be
tw een Jan. 29 and M ay 4, stretching from
Southeast 28"' and Powell to N ortheast 58'*’ and
Sandy to Saint Johns.
The suspects enter a business and take con
trol o f the em ployees and patrons by displaying
or sim ulating handguns They then take money
from the business and flee the area on foot.
T he suspects are described as black males.
O ne is thought to be in his early 30s to40s, 5 feet
8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 pounds, with
a m edium com plexion and possibly a thin m us
tache. Police said he is probably a heavy drinker
based on an odor o f alcohol in one case and
discolored “alco h o lic’s eyes” in another.
The second man is described as in his 20s to
late 30s, 5 feet lO tosix feet tall, 160 pounds, with
a w ide nose and a rough light com plexion with
possible pock m arks and dark spots or large
freckles under his eyes. A victim described him
as having “ indented freckles around his eyes
that looked alm ost like b u m s.”
The third m an is described as in his late 20s,
5 feet 8 to six feet tall and 160 pounds.
•w w « n » » m n w
All your protection under one roof
I
<
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward o f up to $1,000fo r information, reported to Crime
Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in this case, or any unsolved felony crime, and you need not
give your name. Call Crime Stoppers at 503-823-4357.
)