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Prosecutor reviewing Clason death

David Cole | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 years, 1 month AGO
by David Cole
| October 4, 2011 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County prosecutor's office has begun reviewing an investigation report completed for the July death of 30-year-old Nicholas Andrew Clason.

Idaho State Police and Coeur d'Alene police were in the process of taking Clason into custody when he lost consciousness and died days later.

Prosecutor Barry McHugh said Monday he's looking at the actions of police and will be deciding "whether or not any criminal charges should be filed."

Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Stuart Miller said his agency headed up the investigation because of ISP's and the city's contact with Clason.

McHugh's office completes a final review and analysis. McHugh declined to say when his review would be completed.

Coeur d'Alene police said Clason died on July 14 at Kootenai Medical Center, after being admitted to the hospital days earlier.

According to a Coeur d'Alene police press release sent out to media outlets after Clason's death, officers responded at 10:45 p.m. on July 10 to the Interstate 90 westbound on-ramp at Fourth Street for a report of a suicidal man.

A state police officer arrived on scene first and observed Clason "repeatedly trying to stab himself with a sharp object," the release said.

The officer ordered Clason to drop the object.

Coeur d'Alene police officers arrived and also saw Clason "trying to harm himself," police said.

Clason "exhibited unpredictable, agitated behavior consistent with a person under the influence of a narcotic," the press release said.

After several minutes of verbal commands by officers to drop the unidentified object, Clason laid on the ground and officers were able to take him into custody, police said.

Officers then became concerned that Clason had stopped breathing, police said.

Clason was taken to the hospital for what "appeared to be a possible drug overdose," police said.

Authorities have declined to say what the official cause of death was.

Miller said the investigation was completed by the "Region 1 Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation Team," which is made up of law enforcement investigators from city and county agencies in Idaho's five northern counties.

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