A Denver jail deputy did not immediately respond to an inmate’s fatal overdose in part because the deputy was watching TV during his shift, an internal affairs investigation found.
The deputy, Justin Parchem, will serve a 30-day suspension from the Denver Sheriff Department after he failed to notice the inmate’s distress for several minutes during the May 31, 2024, incident at Denver’s Downtown Detention Center, even as other inmates tried to revive the man by throwing water on him.
Inmate Michael Blume, 36, died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, according to an autopsy report from Denver’s Office of Medical Examiner.
The incident unfolded shortly after midnight, according to a Jan. 2 disciplinary letter released to The Denver Post on Wednesday. From about 12:13 a.m. until about 12:22 a.m., inmates in the jail pod appeared to be aware that Blume was in trouble and tried to revive him by splashing water on him, the internal investigation found.
“Individuals are seen accessing the supply closet, gathering buckets and a mop, making multiple trips to the sink to fill a bucket with water, dousing (Blume) with water, and attempting to mop up the puddle,” a disciplinary letter reads.
Parchem did not immediately notice the inmates’ unusual activities and later admitted he was watching TV on his computer, according to the disciplinary letter, which also found he failed to check the pod’s showers during his rounds between 9:50 p.m. and 12:20 a.m. that night.
Parchem walked to Blume’s bunk area at about 12:22 a.m., dragged Blume out of the area and called for a medical emergency. The deputy and inmates started CPR and Parchem gave Blume a dose of the overdose-reversal drug Narcan, according to the letter.
Other deputies and jail medical staff responded immediately. EMTs arrived at about 12:31 a.m., according to the disciplinary letter, and firefighters a few minutes later. Blume was wheeled out of the pod at 12:44 a.m. and was pronounced dead at 1 a.m., about 10 minutes after he arrived at a hospital, according to the autopsy report.
“Deputy Parchem’s inattention may have delayed the time it took for him to recognize the situation, and ultimately delayed the time that elapsed before a medical emergency was called,” the disciplinary letter reads.
Parchem, who was hired in 2020, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
He previously served a 10-day suspension for pepper-spraying an inmate locked in a cell after the man threw food at the deputy.
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