PORT ANGELES — Clallam County jail staff thwarted a married couple’s attempts at suicide Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Department said today.
The 33-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were in different cells and were booked in the jail on separate charges and at different times Wednesday. Their names have not been released.
Jail staff found the woman with little or no pulse at 8:15 p.m., said jail Administrative Sgt. Al Collins. She had used a string from her clothing to try to strangle herself, and jail staff used cardiopulmonary resuscitation to resort her pulse, he said.
The woman was taken to Olympic Medical Center for treatment and returned to the jail this morning.
The man attempted suicide by trying to strangle himself with his own underwear at 9:30 a.m., Collins said, and the jail staff stopped his attempt while he was still conscious.
The couple don’t reside in Clallam County, Collins said, but he didn’t know where they were from.
Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said he is “absolutely proud” of the jail staff for keeping a close enough watch on all of the jail’s 107 inmates that they were able to thwart these attempts.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” he said.
Collins said the jail has had 10 suicide attempts since Jan. 1, 2008. Jail staff also prevented at least 25 threats of suicide during that same period.
The last suicide was on Dec. 12, 2007.
