22-year-old inmate dies in Kennebec County Jail

Posted Nov. 09, 2011, at 9:46 a.m.
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AUGUSTA, Maine — Authorities at the Kennebec County Jail are investigating the sudden death of a 22-year-old inmate.

Sheriff Randall Liberty said Nicholas Michael Powell was found dead in his cell just before 5 a.m. Tuesday. An autopsy is scheduled.

Liberty told the Kennebec Journal that Powell appeared to be sleeping during the 4 a.m. check. When his cell was unlocked at 4:50 a.m. so he could begin his work shift in the jail kitchen, he didn’t wake up.

Augusta Rescue was called to assist in resuscitation efforts.

Powell was serving a nine-month sentence for violating probation on a domestic violence assault conviction. He had come into the jail in Augusta in September.

Liberty says his family said he had a history of heart ailments.

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  • Anonymous

    My condolences to his family. May God bless in your time of sorrow.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VI5WTVDOQEX4M6UAEVBC7GROOQ Kelly

    …he came in the jail in August in September?  I’m confused…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Davida-Willette/100000655412147 Davida Willette

    well like i said before . i think medical treatment of inmates with known health issues should be investigated. the fact he had heart issues they should have had a closer eye on him . maybe he wasnt getting his medications on time not at all is a possibilty . maybe he told them he wasnt feeling well and maybe they never checked into it 

  • Anonymous

    Not August Kelly… August-a.    Kennebec County Jail is in Augusta. This guy’s sentence started in September.

  • Anonymous

    Don’t worry, I’m sure lawyers have already been called by both sides of this situation. A lawsuit will almost certainly be filed.  However since this man was working in the jail kitchen, then he would have to be minimum security. That means that checks are only required to be done once every 60 minutes. Only 50 minutes transpired between the last check and when they unlocked him. So, they are within guidelines. What remains to be found out is if he was receiving the treatment that is required for his health issues.  

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VI5WTVDOQEX4M6UAEVBC7GROOQ Kelly

    Better put my reading glasses on…  :)

  • Anonymous

    The standard medication in jail is aspirin. My guess is they will find he would’ve died if he was home. Sorry to hear of a young many who’s legacy will forever be, “He died in Jail” whenever his name comes up. Condolences to the family. I hope his victim(s) is/are recovering form their ordeal as well.

  • Anonymous

    All jails are required to do 15 minute checks , min or max does not matter.  Enjoy your day Tom

  • Anonymous

    I think you will find yourself incorrect on this one

  • Anonymous

    RIP young man:(

  • Anonymous

    Incorrect, depends on classification level and other factors.

  • Anonymous

    I read your comment earlier and was a bit perturbed you start right off by blaming the system–seems to be an on going issue with you, based on your past posts.  I didn’t respond then, because who knows, maybe you would be right this time, but nope, check the latest update on the Kennebec Journal.  They now believe he died from a drug overdose.  As sad as this may be, making inmates sound as though they are continually the victims is really pretty silly don’t ya think?  If you took any given population of jail inmates and took them out of the jail, and somehow were able to do accurate monitoring on them, I think you’d find that generally speaking, the people in our jails will kill themselves even quicker outside of jail because of the lifestyles they choose to engage in.  Most jails do the best job they can with a very limited budget, treating a very sick and very difficult to deal with population.  If you have a particular issue, with a particular institution, then call them out, but your constant rambling about inmate’s being treated poorly is getting a bit old.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PV4CYCJTMR72D2GJP7KHVMCURU charles

    Well Kennebec County will have to show his family the money, they are responsible for his safety which they did not due.

  • http://twitter.com/NorthernRants Bill Buck

    Some ambulance chaser is licking his chops on this one.

  • Anonymous

    or maybe it was just him time to go. Why does there have to be foul play. But, since it is in custody it will waste our taxpayers money (again) for a full inquiry. Should easily be taken care of with a autopsy to determine finding. If fould play then yes….go with a big investigation but not until then.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_G6OSP5KK3OHTEHY3VYXONGPUIM MiaH

    I can tell you this from experience, jail officials do not go out of their way whatsoever when it comes to your medical needs, it seems they all say the same thing “Theres nothing I can do, put in a request to see the nurse” which takes days even weeks sometimes! There are things that can be done to speed up the process, but why would the C.O.s go out of their way when they are soooooo busy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Davida-Willette/100000655412147 Davida Willette

    when prisioners who behave are given privileges like that the better you conform to being incarcerated you are rewarded for your good behaviour . i would say he was a model inmate 

  • Anonymous

    Everyone say lock them up and throw away the key. Or wait til bubba gets a hold of him. But when a peace of crap dies in jail you all want blood for the c.o.s. He was in for D.V. safe to assume his was a woman beater. Maybe even a child beater. What was you in for?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_G6OSP5KK3OHTEHY3VYXONGPUIM MiaH

    I dont blame the C.O.s for this, Im just saying most do the absolute minimum while on duty. There are a few that actually treat you like a human being who may be innocent of the charges and awating trial or simply made a stupid choice that landed you in jail. I wouldnt go so far to call him  piece of crap when I dont know the circumstances behind his D.V. charge. Is it safe to assume his wife or g/f attacked him and he defended himself and the cops took her word over his?? I dont assume anything!! I also dont condone beating your spouse or children. Im guessing your one of the C.O.s or related to one????  I was in for unpaid fines and numerous other minor offenses…I also feel for his family unlike you?

  • Anonymous

    Some ambulance chaser is licking his chops on this one.     
    ************************************
    Since the guy died, I wonder if the term could be redone to read ‘hearse chaser’?

  • PaulNotBunyan

    He was an adult and would be expected to speak up if he needed to go to sick call or a lighter work assignment. I can understand why a 22 year old might not speak up because inmates who can’t work are stuck in the cellblock most of the day.

    I used to visit a guy in the downtown San Diego jail who was stuck there most of his sentence because of a recurring ear infection. He said a big reason he agreed to a plea bargain was that once he was actually convicted and sentenced they would transfer him to “fire camp”. So he was in a max security jail about 2 months before he got sentenced and 3 more after that. When the doctor finally cleared his medical hold, he got sent out to the minimum security fire camp for his last month and a half.

  • Anonymous

    I can tell you from experience, inmates given the opportunity would sit in the medical office day in day out if it would further hinder the operation of a jail. I can tell you for a fact that Corrections Officers are NOT nurses, doctors or lawyers. They are not authorized to give medical treatment or advise on the law. If you accept any such advise from a CO, then you are at the most getting a guess.

    When you get a medical request form from the CO’s they put them in the Nurses or Doctors box to be reviewed by the medical staff. Medical staff make medical decisions.

    Finally if you have medical problems that need constant attention, please do yourself a large favor and stay out of jail. It’s not hard, millions of people manage to stay out of jail their entire lives.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RO2L7RVMGRST5ZM6KTBSSNHWCY Wondering

    According to the newspaper, he died of a drug overdose, was that prescription or recreational use, which person in the jail system will be fired

  • Anonymous

    If you are not blaming the C.O.s, why do you insinuate all they do is sit around and do nothing to help the inmates? Driving without a license is not a minor offense in this state.

  • Anonymous

    Keep in mind it was his choice to go to jail.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_G6OSP5KK3OHTEHY3VYXONGPUIM MiaH

    Because thats what they do, 80% are overweight and out of shape (Aroostook County Jail) and have chips on their shoulders…If it wasnt for people breaking the laws then these people would be unemployed. I dont feel sorry for anyone in jail and I think most of the people deserve to be in there, I also believe they should be treated like human beings and get the medical treatment they need while in there. All Im saying is there is a lot of C.O.s that can and should do more. “Corrections Officers” are paid to do more then count heads and act like Barney Fife.. Operating after suspension is a class E misdemeanor

  • Anonymous

    You hit the nail on the head.

  • Anonymous

    I’m not sure what you mean, but I would say that he was at the very least well behaved enough to get put onto a trusty program, and with that comes lower security classifications, and less frequent checks.

  • Anonymous

    Tom? Sorry Chrissy, no cigar. You worked at a jail long enough to know DOC standards on inmate checks:  Min.-60 min. Med-30 min., Max., Special Management -15 min. or less. This guy was most likely a trusty if he was working in the kitchen, so they wouldn’t be doing 15 min. checks on him. 

  • Anonymous

    Exactly.

  • Anonymous

    Sounds to me like you’re the one with the chip on his / her shoulder.  If you don’t like jail, or the people that work there, then I would say that you have a reason to say out of trouble. If your hate of the jail system is enough to keep you out then in an odd sort of way, the jail system has worked.   

  • Anonymous

    Darn you are getting real close to solving this case.  Your right i did work at a jail long enough to know, but all jails are different, none are the same.  Well except they all stink and would not want to stay in one overnight.  But you still got the name wrong. Keep trying Tom

  • Anonymous

    and if they gave you med you would blame an O.D. and blame the C.O. Fact is…dont go to jail and

  • Anonymous

    Were you a model inmate Tom

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DQYJRNTL4E3A3B7OXXQVK74HZM Kathy S

    Sorry livefree, but when a human being is incarcerated, they become a ward of the state. The state is RESPONSIBLE for their health and well-being. Like it or not. If a young person dies in state care, whether they are a child in the foster care system or an inmate in jail, the state IS at fault, except in rare circumstances.

  • Anonymous

    So Kathy, when an inmate shoves his pills up his rear to sneak them into the jail so he can get high, and the jail isn’t allowed to do a body cavity search because the courts have decided this is against an inmate’s rights, then when the inmate takes the drugs to get high, and dies in his sleep, that’s supposed to be the fault of the jail?  I’m not saying this is necessarily what happened here, but it has happened before.  I’m not even saying that some crazy judge won’t determine the state has to pay up for the theoretical situation I described above.  I’m just saying that this is absolutely wrong, and one of the reasons society is going the way it is.  Parents need to take responsibility for their children, and teach their children to be responsible for their own actions.   If a jail is grossly negligent, they should be held responsible.  However, my point above, is that so far, it doesn’t appear to me that anyone, other than the inmate was grossly negligent.   (it may even be the case that the inmate wasn’t negligent, but simply died from an unpredictable condition)   If a family decides to sue, and if a judge orders a county to pay for something that wasn’t gross negligence, it does nothing to improve jail conditions.  It only makes it so we, as a society, have even less money to provide appropriate care to those in jail.

  • Anonymous

    BS. If you are goofy enough to find yourself in jail and you have life threatening illnesses. Then die in jail. Guess what? You brought it upon yourself. You will be dead and unable to sue anyone. Your family will have to, if they are as numb as you seem to be, sue the jail or prison. You on the other hand will be dead and unable to be reached for consultation.

  • Anonymous

    Until you do it three times in ten years, then it’s a felony and you go to jail for three years. Child molesting doesn’t even get you that much time.

  • Anonymous

    People in jail have it better than our boys and girls in Irac.

  • Anonymous

    They sure do.

  • Anonymous

    I got the name correct. And by the way, ALL jails in Maine are required to follow MDOC standards. If they choose to do checks more often then mandated, great, but they are not required to. If you want to call me Tom, feel free, I’ve been called worse.

  • Anonymous

    Oh my god, you crack me up, you spend too much time in Jail Tom.  Good luck in finding my real name.  Have a great day buddy.  See you soon in the system, ill be back soon to work again

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