Mille Lacs County Times - UPDATE: Attempted suicide in jail

UPDATE: Attempted suicide in jail

UPDATE: Despite life-saving efforts by jail staff, ambulance personnel, medical staff at Fairview Medical Center and North Memorial Hospital, Walter Alan Wildhirt died on on Saturday, Feb. 6 at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.

by Dawn Slade

Correctional officers found convicted sex offender Walter Allen Wildhirt, 32, had attempted suicide in the Mille Lacs County Jail on Thursday, Feb. 4. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

According to Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren, a well-being check was conducted at approximately 5:20 a.m. when they found Wildhirt out of his bed.

Wildhirt attempted suicide using the bed sheet, which he attached to a sprinkler head grate on the wall. He wrapped the sheet around his neck.

Twenty-five minutes prior to that, a well-being check found Wildhirt in bed under the covers.

Correctional officers performed life-saving measures on Wildhirt, including CPR, assisted breathing, and the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator).

North Memorial Ambulance transported Wildhirt to Fairview Northland Medical Center in Princeton. Lindgren reported that Wildhirt had a pulse when the ambulance transported him.

Wildhirt was then transported to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.

He was in jail for a recent conviction of first and second degree criminal sexual conduct and was to be sentenced on Friday, Feb. 5. He is facing a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Wildhirt has been in custody since Sept. 15, 2009 on $300,000 bail. Carlton County also has an additional hold on Wildhirt.

He has two prior sexual assault convictions and multiple felonies, including burglaries, theft, dishonored checks and fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.

The sheriff praised his staff. “They did their job and that’s why they do those well-being checks,” Lindgren said.
“Hopefully we got to this individual in time.

We may or may not have been successful in this case, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The BCA will assist with an inquiry into Wildhirt’s suicide attempt to ensure there is no appearance of conflict of interest.

Comments (8) Add Comment

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written by Dick Dobson, February 05, 2010

Good Job Staff. Training may seem like a waste of time, but then something like this happens and you get a different feeling for it. No matter what the charge you have a big obligation to the inmate and you completed that obligation to the fullest

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written by Joan, February 08, 2010

How many deaths does this make now at the Mille Lacs County Jail? Even one is TOO MANY!

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written by Jami Lambrecht, February 08, 2010

Dear Joan,
I am sorry that you feel this way. The correction officers do what they are trained to do they are not doctors or miracle workers! They are there to do a job and they are good at there job! It is never there fault that one tries to do this! Nor should we look down on the County for it! That is like looking at a parent whos child has done this and telling them that it is there fault!!!!!!!!!

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written by tom v, February 09, 2010

Joan: Please remember why the man was in jail in the first place! IF he had not committed a crime - he wouldn't be in jail, would he? Don't blame the law enforcement personnel for this!

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written by Joan, February 10, 2010

I am not blaming them but there have been other deaths in the ML Co. Jail and the families of those victims have taken legal action against them for negligence and won. This fellow must have been in segregation. Are there not video cams in those cells also?

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written by Citizen, February 10, 2010

Joan,

If your would like to pay for 1 staff per inmate to babysit them 24/7 then by all means please do. Remember they're adults, not 2 year old who need daycare. You obviously have no idea what takes place inside those walls. I'm sorry you blame the wrong people, but if you did any research at all, you would know that Mille Lacs County is NOT the only jail that experiences suicides, they all do. This man was in for a SEX CRIME, he knew he was going to prison for a very long time and sex offenders are the bottom of the food chain in prison. Please think, and do some research, before you post.

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written by BPM, February 16, 2010

considering the fact that mille lacs co. jail inmate roland leslie hunt was only gets 20 yrs for abusing children, also another drug dealer gets off the streets ,he should get more time for hurting his own children, our poor little nephew still carries the cigarette burns on his body that his so called dad tortured him with years ago,he will meet his maker in hell!

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written by Crazy, July 08, 2010

And Yet No One has commented on Who this person was...only what he did. I knew this man for most of my life. I think that he tried to be a good person. He was always there for his friends and family. It's not about his dying in MilleLacs Co. Jail. The Staff did their job. They tried to save a man who did not want to be saved. No matter what the charges brought against this man, He should be allowed Peace. Life and Death are supposed to teach us all a lesson...Millelacs County Staff are not trained to be racist. They treat every inmate the same...With the respect and Dignity they deserve. They are people. MilleLacs Co. Staff Understand this. When will we? I pray this man is at peace with what he did and the people he hurt if so.

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