Inmate Takes Own Life At Harford County Detention Center: Sheriff

BEL AIR, MD — A Pennsylvania man died after authorities said he tried to take his own life in a cell at the Harford County Detention Center in Bel Air. He was taken to the hospital, where officials said he died four days later.

Jack Lazar, 51, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, had been at the detention center in Bel Air since Saturday, July 3, as a fugitive from another jurisdiction, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

Lazar was awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania for trespassing, unlawful taking and criminal mischief, officials said. At a hearing the afternoon of Tuesday, July 6, court records show a judge ordered him held without bail pending his extradition.

In Harford County, Lazar had also been charged with drug and auto theft offenses from June 30, including narcotics possession with intent to distribute and theft from $1,500 to $25,000, court records show.

Around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, authorities said they found Lazar unresponsive in his cell with a sheet around his neck.

Officials said they immediately called for medical staff and other deputies to assist as they tried to save his life by performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator. Medics from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and Harford County Department of Emergency Services continued providing care to Lazar. He was taken by ambulance to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where officials said he died Wednesday night.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is handling the investigation.

Several inmates have died by taking their own lives at the detention center in recent years, according to the sheriff's office. In 2019, authorities said two men lost their lives that way in less three weeks.

• Tommy Wayne Pardew Sr., 56, of Havre de Grace, died May 1, 2019, officials said. He had been at the detention center for about one week after authorities said he violated probation stemming from a DUI charge. He was found "with his clothing wrapped around his neck," the sheriff's office reported.
• Marlyn William Barnes, 30, of Gwynn Oak, died April 10, 2019, after deputies said they found him "with a sheet around his neck" in his cell. The suspected suicide occurred the afternoon he was denied bail for assault and violating a protective order, authorities said.

In the two years since the death of Barnes, his family members have questioned the findings of the investigation.

"The jail claims he committed suicide, but his family has not gotten the answers they need from the authorities and they continue to fight for truth and justice in his case," according to activist group Peoples Power Assembly, which stated: "The number of suicide deaths at Harford County are alarming."

The group organized a June 8 protest calling for the Barnes case to be reopened. His family has said they wanted to see video from the cell and for information about why it took the medical examiner's office two months to sign off on the finding that he died by suicide.

After retired Maryland Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler testified in the case of George Floyd that he believed officer Derek Chauvin was not responsible in the Black man's death, which he attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced an audit of in-custody deaths in Maryland. It was unclear whether the audit will include the Barnes case or any others in Harford County.

Help For Those Considering Suicide

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources available to help.

Call the Klein Family Harford Crisis Center at 410-874-0711 or the 24/7 crisis hotline at 800-NEXT-STEP (800-639-8783). The hotline is operated by behavioral health professionals who can help direct callers to behavioral health, mental health and addiction treatment resources.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-SUICIDE (or 1-800-784-2433). Its website offers services including a live chat.