(Grant County, WA) Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete issued a statement today regarding the investigation of the December 31 death of jail inmate Richard Lambert.
Two Corrections Deputies were placed on paid administrative leave on January 2 pending the results of the death investigation by the Central Basin Investigative Team aka CBIT, and the administrative policy investigation to be conducted by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Paid administrative leave is commonly used to protect the integrity of the investigation process when there is a serious incident and is not a form of discipline, and placing staff on paid administrative leave is not an indication of suspected wrongdoing.
This case is still under investigation, and additional update will be provided.