UPDATED: Grant County Jail inmate found dead
An inmate has died at the Grant County Jail.
FILE PHOTO
EPHRATA — Grant County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the death of Richard Lambert, 31, of Moses Lake after he was found deceased in his bunk at the Grant County Jail on Tuesday morning.
Lambert had been booked into the Grant County Jail on Dec. 27 on suspicion of second degree criminal trespassing and obstructing law enforcement in connectiong with a Moses Lake Police Department investigation, according to a GCSO statement.
Lambert was found by corrections deputies when they went looking for him at about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday morning because he did not show up for breakfast. He was found in bed in a dormitory and was unconscious, unresponsive, pulseless and not breathing. The Ephrata Fire Department and LifeLine Ambulance responded and he was declared dead soon after.
Lambert’s remains are in the custody of Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison and an autopsy will be conducted. Lambert’s family was notified Tuesday morning regarding his passing. Investigators do not suspect foul play at this time.
According to the GCSO statement, the deputies who found Lambert will be offered peer support to help cope with the incident.
GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said this is the first in-custody death at the Grant County Jail since August 2018 when an inmate died of an overdose.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated throughout with additional information provided by GCSO.