EPHRATA – The Ephrata Police Department Captain Troy Froewiss released a statement regarding the Central Basin Investigations Team regarding the death of Richard Lambert in the Grant County Jail. Lamber was found deceased in his bunk at the Grant County Jail on Dec. 31.  

According to an earlier Grant County Sheriff's Office statement, Lambert had been booked into the Grant County Jail on Dec. 27 on suspicion of second-degree criminal trespassing and obstructing law enforcement. Lambert was found by corrections deputies at around 6:15 a.m. after he did not show up for breakfast. He was found in his bed, unconscious, unresponsive and pulseless. The Ephrata Fire Department and Lifeline Ambulance responded, and he was declared dead soon after.  

The investigation is ongoing with interviews being conducted with multiple witnesses and attempting to find and interview former inmates who were incarcerated with Lambert from Dec. 27 to Dec. 31. 

“It's moving along,” Froewiss said. “I mean, we're probably getting close to being at the tail end of it.” 

The CBIT team is currently waiting for the medical examiner's report and toxicology reports. The reports are estimated to take around six weeks to complete.  

“We're not quite at closure,” Froewiss said. “We still have some things we're working on, but we're getting we're getting there. Obviously, we can't even if we're everybody's finished with the investigative part. We can't summarize everything until we have the medical examiner's report, and the toxicology results expected in about six weeks or less.” 

Currently, limited details can be shared with the public until the investigation is complete, according to Froewiss. There is no anticipated completion date, yet.

Although an investigation is being conducted, Froewiss said, it does not mean it is indicative of a crime occurring.  

CBIT was formed in 2009 to investigate officers involved in shootings, major accidents, major use-of-force accidents where significant injuries happened and homicide investigations. CBIT is made of investigators from the Quincy Police Department, Ephrata Police Department, Othello Police Department, Moses Lake Police Department, Ellensburg Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Kittitas Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol. 

“CBIT was a team put together that includes detectives and administrators from agencies and Grant Adams and Kittitas County,” Froewiss said. “There's people from all three counties working on this investigation.”