Grant County female inmate seriously injured in fall
Local Crime News
EPHRATA - A female Grant County Jail inmate was seriously injured Monday after falling from a balcony in a possible suicide attempt.
About 3:20 p.m. Monday, September 30, Tina I. Mandelas, 47, of Moses Lake, fell about 20 feet from a second tier balcony inside the jail, according to the sheriff's office.
Surveillance video shows Mandelas used a jail-issued jumpsuit from an inmate's bed and tied one end to the second tier railing. Another inmate noticed Mandelas and rushed to stop her. Before the other inmate could reach her, Mandelas appears to deliberately throw herself over the railing, falling to the concrete floor below near a stairwell, according to the sheriff's office.
Mandelas was initially treated by jail staff and taken by ambulance to Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata. She was later flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where she underwent surgery the following morning.
As of that night, Mandelas was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview.
The sheriff's office is still investigating the incident, but evidence suggests this fall was a possible suicide attempt.
Mandelas was booked into jail Saturday, September 28, for taking a motor vehicle without permission and possession of morphine, according to jail records.
"Incidents resulting in serious injuries rarely happen in the Grant County Jail," Sheriff Tom Jones said. "Nonetheless, this is a tragic incident and we all hope for Ms. Mandelas' recovery."
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