PORTLAND, Maine — A Cumberland County Jail inmate who allegedly attempted to hang himself in his cell using a bed sheet Thursday morning is now under constant watch by jail employees, one of the facility’s top officials said Friday.
Lawrence “Larry” Cox, 50, of Westbrook is being held on theft charges related to a pair of convenience store burglaries in southern Maine.
Steven Butts Jr., captain of operations at the jail, told the Bangor Daily News on Friday that Cox was seen socializing normally with other inmates the day before he allegedly attempted suicide. Cox is being held in the jail’s general population unit, an 86-bed block that includes open areas where inmates can exercise, mingle and eat.
A fellow inmate began to recognize that Cox’s mood took a downturn and discovered the hanging attempt when he came to cheer him up, Butts said Thursday morning.
“I guess he’d seemed kind of down that morning, and so that’s why [his fellow inmate] went to talk to him,” Butts said. “They tend to talk to fellow inmates before they talk to staff.”
After being alerted, corrections officers released Cox from the noose he allegedly had made from his bed sheet and had attached to the top bunk in his cell.
Before Thursday morning, Cox showed no warning signs of being a suicide risk, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office stated. Cox was treated at the facility’s medical unit and spoke with a mental health counselor in the aftermath of the incident, Butts said.
Now he’s on what Butts described Friday as “one-on-one watch.”
“We have an officer sitting there watching him,” Butts said. “That’ll be the case until the medical department clears him.”
Cox is facing charges for his alleged role in a pair of convenience store burglaries in Standish and Cumberland. Cox and Vincent Lombardi II, 39, allegedly were captured on surveillance video stealing the store keys at Pit Stop Fuel in Standish while employees were distracted, and later were pulled over in Westbrook with a car police say was full of Maine State Lottery scratch tickets, cigarettes and cash the duo previously had stolen from J. Brothers Variety in Cumberland.
Cox’s bail is set at $2,560.
hope the guard is talking to him. that helps
The corrections Officers are not allowed to talk to them. This is to discourage inmates from acting out just to get special attention or “secondary gains”. Inmates on Suicide Watch have a camera on them 24/7 in a private cell, are given a paper nightgown and a matt on the floor. Some have a guard outside the door or are on timed checks, but always on 1:1 via camera. Inmates are evaluated every 24 hours by a mental health professional until they are determined to no longer be a threat to themselves.
If the jail is aware he is suicidal, and failed to do anything…… there would be a big lawsuit, so for all of you that just ssay ” let him do it”…. other than being crule, we wouldn’t save any money at all.
I don’t know about Cumberland County Jail . But every 15 Min. someones lookin in ya cell at PCJ . That and a cellmate certainly isnt just gonna sit and watch ya kill tyourself deters suicide at PCJ . I think we all forget that jail is some deppressing state of affairs . In alot of cases you’ve hit “ROCK BOTTOM” and see no light at the end of the tunnel . Although earned , the realization of losing ones freedom can make someone nuts . I will pray for this man to change his life and want to LIVE a GOOD life again …AMEN
We should pamper him some more…..OMG
Aren’t you ever ashamed to be so mean-spirited when another human being is so clearly suffering? You sound like a very immature very nasty little boy.
Dont be mad super Petey…
If he kills himself less tax dollars wasted on him.
Why is this even considered news? This is just disrespectful on the BDN’s part. Now ever time someone tries to commit suicide they’re going to make a news article about it?