COLFAX — A Pullman man being held in the Whitman County Jail on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and three counts of assault committed suicide Saturday afternoon, Dec. 26.
Jose Chagollan-Flores, 35, was found hanging from a bed sheet attached to the upper bunk of his cell at 5:33 p.m., according to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.
Correctional officers, deputies and EMTs tried to revive him, performing CPR and attempting other lifesaving measures, officials said. He was transported to Whitman Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy will be performed by Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillers. Findings are expected to take at least a week.
According to Sheriff Brett Myers, jail protocols were followed during staff rounds to check on inmates prior to the incident.
Chagollan-Flores has been in the jail since Aug. 1, 2020, Myers said. He was not on any special watch at the time, nor has he been during his time incarcerated.
Special watches are enacted for inmates who are deemed suicidal or a danger to themselves or others.
The incident occurred between the regular rounds. An officer at the jail declined to provide the times of jail rounds.
Inmate sleeping areas are not on camera, Myers said, noting Chagollan-Flores did not share his cell with another inmate.
Myers said it has been almost three years since the last inmate suicide in the jail.
Psychologist Dean Funabiki, 67, of Pulllman, took his life Feb. 19, 2018, in the same manner. His suicide came two days after his arrest for second-degree rape after allegedly sexually assaulting a female patient in his Pullman office.
Jana Mathia is a former managing for Free Press Publishing, based in Colfax, Wash., at the Whitman County Gazette and Colfax Daily Bulletin.
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