A man has been charged in the death of a fellow Whatcom County Jail inmate, accused of supplying the drugs that led to the fatal overdose of Andre Haas on Wednesday, March 13.
Sometime before Haas and another inmate were found unconscious in their cell around 10:18 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, Angel Leffingwell, 38, was observed moving between his cell and the one occupied by Haas and the second overdose victim, Bellingham Police Department (BPD) Public Information Officer Megan Peters said in an email to Cascadia Daily News.
“Mr. Leffingwell was the only inmate in the common area of the housing area, while all other inmates were in their respective cells,” Peters said. “Aid was rendered to Mr. Haas and his cellmate while Mr. Leffingwell was secured.”
Haas could not be revived. The cellmate, who has not been identified, was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment.
Leffingwell is charged with controlled substance homicide, along with possession of a controlled substance by a prisoner, and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
Leffingwell has been in jail since the early-morning hours of Feb. 25, after leading law enforcement officers in a high-speed chase, court records state. Police found suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine in his vehicle after he was captured, according to court documents.
Court records say Leffingwell was found with drugs in his possession at the jail during an unrelated incident on Feb. 26.
Leffingwell was searched after corrections deputies at the jail received a complaint of drug activity in two cells, according to arrest records from the Feb. 26 case. Officers discovered Leffingwell was hiding 7.9 grams of suspected fentanyl in his mouth and a body cavity.
Inmates at Whatcom County Jail are not cavity-searched during booking, sheriff’s office Public Information Officer Deb Slater said. Depending on their charges, inmates may be strip-searched or taken to the jail’s full-body scanner.
“There have been instances where inmates have wrapped and swallowed or inserted suspected opioids into their body cavity to get them into the facility,” Slater said. “Industrywide, correctional facilities, including the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Bureau, are evaluating the capabilities of scanner detection systems.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how Leffingwell would have been able to obtain drugs inside the jail again, in order to allegedly distribute them on March 13. Slater directed questions about this to Peters at BPD.
“At this time, it is unknown how the drugs were introduced into the jail. It is a part of the ongoing investigation,” Peters said.
The Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART) is investigating Haas’ overdose as a controlled substance homicide, law enforcement officials have said.
“BPD believes that all involved parties are identified,” Peters said last week. “Investigation into the cause and circumstances of the death are ongoing.”
LEMART will review the incident instead of the sheriff’s office, to avoid possible bias, Peters said. The sheriff’s office manages the county jail.
Ten law enforcement agencies within Whatcom County and the Washington State Patrol are members of LEMART.
In a statement released after Haas’ death, Sheriff Donnell Tanksley said his office is reviewing the procedures meant to keep drugs out of the jail.
“We are working through the protocols in place and commit to support the investigation — and, more immediately, to ensure no illicit drugs remain in our facilities,” Tanksley said.
The sheriff’s office said the outcome of the LEMART investigation will be made public.
This story was updated at 3:19 p.m. March 18 with additional information from the Bellingham Police Department.
A previous version of this story inaccurately described the types of inmate searches conducted at Whatcom County Jail. The story was updated to correct this at 5:08 p.m. March 18.
Ralph Schwartz is CDN’s local government reporter; reach him at ralphschwartz@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 107.
