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Man Busted For Pot Dies In Snohomish Co. Jail


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Man busted for pot dies in Snohomish Co. jail

 

 

Published: October 14, 2012

The Associated Press

 

 

 

EVERETT, Wash. — A 22-year-old man with severe food allergies died in the Snohomish County jail after a pot bust, and now his mother says she wants to know why.

 

Michael Saffioti died a day after turning himself in to face a misdemeanor marijuana charge on July 2, The Herald newspaper of Everett and KIRO-TV of Seattle reported. The Snohomish County medical examiner's office determined last week that he died from bronchial asthma brought on by his milk allergy.

 

Based on the accounts of two inmates, Saffioti's mother, Rose Saffioti, believes the attack may have been brought on by what he had for breakfast July 3.

 

She said her son brought along a bag of medications needed to control his allergies and asthma when his brother drove him to the Lynnwood Police Department, where he turned himself in on a warrant that was issued when he missed a court date.

 

He was transferred to the county jail because it has a medical unit, but once there, he was placed in the general population, Rose Saffioti said. The next morning, she received a call from a doctor at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett that her son was dead.

 

"He was scared," she said. "I said, 'You are doing the right thing. They are going to take care of you.' He said, 'I have a bad feeling that they are not going to take me seriously.'"

 

The sheriff's office is still investigating, spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

 

Michael Saffioti's allergies were so extreme he would have to ask a girl about what she had eaten before he could kiss her, his mother said.

 

Relatives and friends attributed his legal troubles to his medical problems, which caused panic attacks and led to his use of anti-anxiety prescription drugs and marijuana. He had problems with drug abuse since his teens.

 

In 2008, Michael Saffioti, then 17, was given an alternative sentence for minor offenses that required out-patient drug treatment. At the time, a doctor wrote a letter saying his patient had "multiple potential life-threatening chronic illnesses, objectively documented" that required environmental controls unlikely to be found behind bars, The Herald reported.

 

In a later stay at the county jail for marijuana possession, his food was separately prepared and wrapped in plastic to avoid trace contaminants, Rose Saffioti said. The precaution earned Saffioti the jail nickname "Bubble Boy," and his family appreciated the jail's willingness to meet his medical needs.

 

It's one of six deaths to occur in the jail since 2010. It's one of at least two that appear headed toward wrongful death claims against the county. Rose Saffioti, who is a nurse, has hired Seattle attorney Anne Bremner to pursue the case.

 

"My motivation is justice for Michael, policies changed, protocols changed, so that nobody has to go through this whether they have allergies, are diabetic or have cardiac issues," Rose Saffioti said. "Nothing is going to bring Michael back, but it can affect a change and that's what Michael would have wanted."

 

Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com

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yea they are not to friendly in jail, they make ya cold turkey off of your meds also, at least in most countys in mich, they are all drug free, non narcotic, one more reason if you have health issues not to break the law, when you go to jail they usualy dont give ya a pillow or tuck you in at nite, or give you dif food, they only give you dif food, after they check you when you go in, some say the wrong things and wind up with worse bland food than others! and if the food dont kill ya the bordom mite!

 

Peace

Jim

 

p.s well which state is gonna kill some one next Iluminate?

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Just curious, what did the reason for his arrest have to do with his death? In other words, would he have been given food he was allergic too if he was arrested for burglary, or public drunkeness.

 

I just don't understand why this story had to be posted here the way it was. Do we post stories of everyone that has an accident while in jail?

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Just curious, what did the reason for his arrest have to do with his death? In other words, would he have been given food he was allergic too if he was arrested for burglary, or public drunkeness.

 

I just don't understand why this story had to be posted here the way it was. Do we post stories of everyone that has an accident while in jail?

 

I posted it because this man had a warrant for using marijuana illegally and he turned himself in to the authorities. His care is now their responsibility. They have doctors in prison who can evaluate and provide proper treatment. If it wasn't for the drug war this person would still be alive today because using a god given natural substance would not be a crime.

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Just curious, what did the reason for his arrest have to do with his death? In other words, would he have been given food he was allergic too if he was arrested for burglary, or public drunkeness.

 

I just don't understand why this story had to be posted here the way it was. Do we post stories of everyone that has an accident while in jail?

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You have to understand that a lot of NEW patients come here looking for information, and those patients come from all walks of life. When they see headlines like the one above and the other one about people being raped because they have pot, that has an affect on them. Can you imagine what a 70 year old veteran who's a cancer patient looking for an alternative treatment might think if he came here and saw that? "OMG! I can't be an MMJ patient! The cops will rape or kill me if I am!"

 

I don't have anything against you posting them, although I don't believe they are relevant to MMJ patients in Michigan, especially when they are five months old and in another state, as this case is. But please, please stop the sensationalist titles and let's try to keep the amount of them down to one at a time.

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You have to understand that a lot of NEW patients come here looking for information, and those patients come from all walks of life. When they see headlines like the one above and the other one about people being raped because they have pot, that has an affect on them. Can you imagine what a 70 year old veteran who's a cancer patient looking for an alternative treatment might think if he came here and saw that? "OMG! I can't be an MMJ patient! The cops will rape or kill me if I am!"

 

I don't have anything against you posting them, although I don't believe they are relevant to MMJ patients in Michigan, especially when they are five months old and in another state, as this case is. But please, please stop the sensationalist titles and let's try to keep the amount of them down to one at a time.

i know what you mean such a blustery headline, but in a way true. the kid got locked up for a surrender to the police then probably not represented by a lawyer to help his case for possesion of a god given plant that probably was helping control his addiction to street drugs. most likley he had been in trouble before and the bottom line is GUILY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT.

so lock up your dauther

lock up your wife

call your criminal lawyer

and run for your life.

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