BURLEY — Thomas M. Rettew lay in a jail cell suffering the effects of a meth overdose for 95 minutes before guards checked on him, decided he was detoxing and left. Three hours later, he was dead.
5:17 p.m. Thomas M. Rettew is stopped by a Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office deputy on a warrant.
5:54 p.m. Rettew arrived at the jail after being arrested in Rupert. He said he didn’t feel well and argued with a detention officer over removing his wedding ring.
6:14 p.m. Prior to being booked, he was placed in a hold cell with another inmate.
6:15 p.m. Rettew was given a blanket. He was calm, coherent and not slurring his speech.
6:16 p.m. Two food trays were delivered to the cell.
6:16 p.m. to 7:51 p.m. Rettew was not check on by staff.
7:05 p.m. Rettew vomits in the toilet.
7:51 p.m. A detention deputy looks in the cell window and opens the door. A second deputy says Rettew looks like he’s having a seizure. One deputy says over the radio that Rettew is detoxing from illegal drugs and the cell should be monitored via camera.
7:53 p.m. Rettew was visibly sweating, shaking uncontrollably and spinning on the floor.
8:35 p.m. Rettew was speaking loudly.
8:38 p.m. He sat up and vomited onto the blanket.
8:44 p.m. Rettew began yelling.
8:46 p.m. It appeared that Rettew was hitting his head on the wall due to lack of muscle control.
9:27 p.m. Rettew’s body was moving erratically.
9:28 p.m. He attempted to sit up, but was unable to accomplish the task.
9:29 p.m. Rettew appeared to be having a convulsion.
9:33 p.m. His movements slowed down along and along with his breathing, momentarily.
9:40 p.m. He began to have convulsions.
9:41 p.m. Apparent knocking sound comes from cell. The cell door was opened and the second inmate was removed for booking. An officer checks on Rettew and retrieved a rag to clean up blood from a wound over his eye.
9:43 p.m. Rettew’s movements slowed and he became unresponsive but his eyes appeared to be open. A mattress was brought into the cell and Rettew was placed on it.
9:44 p.m. A medically trained deputy applied a sternum rub to Rettew to see if he responded. Rettew did not respond.
9:45 p.m. Rettew’s hands stop moving and an officer said Rettew needed to go to the hospital to have the wound stitched up. An officer used a light to check his pupils.
9:47 p.m. Officers checked for a pulse on Rettew and could not find one.
9:49 p.m. An officer requested an ambulance and a medical kit was brought to the cell. The jail was locked down.
9:51 p.m. Officers began CPR on Rettew. An automated electronic defibrillator was applied to his chest but the device advised them not to shock him.
9:58 p.m. The ambulance crew enters the jail.
10:05 p.m. A Cassia County dispatcher calls Minidoka County dispatch and asks why the county’s officers arrest people and then let them die. The dispatchers then discuss CPR and the roles deputies play.
10:11 p.m. The ambulance crew removed Rettew from the jail.
10:21 p.m. The ambulance arrived at the hospital. Medical staff continued CPR and administered other treatments to Rettew.
10:59 p.m. Rettew was pronounced dead at the hospital.
