Chaffee County Detention Center is reporting the death of an individual who had been incarcerated at the county jail facility in Salida.
The death is believed to be related to complications from a coronavirus infection contracted by the inmate at the Detention Center in mid-April. The inmate was not in the care or custody of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office at the time of death.
The 71-year-old female tested positive for COVID-19 on April 13th and was then housed in a COVID isolation pod within the Chaffee County Detention Center facility where she received on-site care through the Sheriff Office’s medical staff. The individual was transferred to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) for medical care on April 16th and again on April 20th, when she was admitted for care and released from Detention Center custody on no-cost personal recognizance bonds. She was later transferred to the front range for medical care. The Sheriff’s Office learned of the subject’s death on June 10th; reportedly she passed away on May 22nd in Colorado Springs where she was receiving inpatient hospital care.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center continues to adhere to state and local requirements for face masks and other COVID-19 precautions for staff, visitors, and inmates within the jail facilities. The Detention Center currently houses 35 inmates.
