An Oregon woman died at the Clackamas County Jail on February 18 after repeatedly telling deputies she could not breathe while being booked, according to video footage from the jail. Gerlinde Spring Lynch, 47, died shortly after being taken into custody for allegedly damaging property at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.
Video from the jail shows at least four deputies attempting to strap Lynch into a restraint chair. During the process, Lynch stated, "I can't breathe," at least twice and asked to be let go. Deputies were seen tightening a belt around her stomach and moving her around. The process of removing her handcuffs was delayed when the key broke off in the lock, a delay of approximately 60 seconds.
Following the delay, a deputy asked if Lynch was still breathing, and CPR was initiated after a nurse was called. Lynch was pronounced dead shortly after 11:40 p.m.
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The Clackamas County District Attorney's Office stated in a June 22 news release that personnel from the Sheriff's Office were not criminally negligent in Lynch's death. The investigation determined that evidence of criminal negligence "falls well below proof beyond a reasonable doubt." The statement attributed Lynch's death to a combination of her heart disease, a toxic level of methamphetamine in her system, and her resistance to restraint.
A toxicology report found 1500 ng/ml of methamphetamine in Lynch's system at the time of her death. The medical examiner ruled Lynch's death a homicide, a medical conclusion, citing cardiac arrest due to methamphetamine toxicity, physical restraint, obesity, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
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Lynch had been arrested earlier on February 18 after allegedly trespassing on private property and pulling up plants. She was booked into the Clackamas County Jail at 3 p.m. and released on her own recognizance three hours later. However, she was taken into custody again at 10:30 p.m. after an employee reported her pulling up plants, throwing rocks, and moving boulders in the KFC drive-thru area. An Oregon City police officer at the scene described Lynch as "largely incoherent" with soil around her mouth.
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She reportedly resisted arrest, requiring four officers to place her in a police car, and then refused to exit the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes, having entangled herself in the seat belts. Deputies noted she appeared exhausted and was breathing heavily. When deputies attempted to move her to the booking area in a wheelchair, she slid to the ground. According to the District Attorney's Office, deputies then used a restraint chair, not for its intended purpose initially, but because of its angled back, which prevented her from sliding out. The chair's use for restraint began after Lynch arched her back and kicked her feet. A waist strap was applied after she allegedly spat at a deputy and resisted attempts to secure her ankles.
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Lynch's father, Ted Riggle, has filed a notice of tort, indicating his intent to bring federal civil rights and state wrongful death claims against the county. Riggle's attorney stated that instructions for the restraint chair, which included warnings against leaning the detainee forward, were available to jail staff. The attorney also claimed that footage showed Lynch urinating on herself while restrained in a forward-bent position with deputies on top of her.