Teen facing Arlington theft charges hangs self in jail

Another death has occurred in the Snohomish County Jail in Everett.

Another death has occurred in the Snohomish County Jail in Everett.

The latest person to die was scheduled to be transferred to the Marysville Jail Sept. 10. He was supposed to appear in court on a charge of third-degree theft out of Arlington, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

The 19-year-old man was found dead in his cell late Sept. 9. Travis A. Nelson-Martinez of Sultan hanged himself, the county Medical Examiner’s Office reported.

Nelson-Martinez was booked on arrest warrants by Everett police on Sept. 2, Ireton said. He had been cited in Everett in June for criminal trespassing and in Arlington in July for theft.

Nelson-Martinez was being checked on by corrections officers every half-hour in the jail, Ireton said. He was found hanging in his cell during the 11:30 p.m. checks on Tuesday. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. Nelson-Martinez was screened when booked, a process that included a mental-health evaluation, Ireton said.

“There was nothing he said or did that triggered any concern,” she said.

At least 11 people have died in the county jail since 2010. Deaths in the jail have been the focus of multiple multimillion-dollar legal claims and lawsuits against the county, and have led to a series of comprehensive reforms meant to address safety issues such as overcrowding.