Examiner’s Office rules Maltby man’s death accidental

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of a Maltby resident following an altercation with law enforcement as accidental.

Alex Dold, 29, suffered from schizophrenia and was having a mental health crisis when his mother called 911 on March 21. That night Dold had been physical with his mother, Kathy Duncan, and so she called 911 a few hours after the dispute had settled.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office released a recording of Duncan’s 911 report. She had told dispatch she wanted her son to have a psychiatric evaluation. She also said she had a fat lip. She said her son had tried to take her phone, ripped a lanyard from her neck and flipped over the recliner she was sitting in.

Responding officers were told it was a domestic violence call. About eight minutes after law enforcement arrived, they sent out a help-an-officer call, which means an officer is in fear of their life.

More than 13 jurisdictions responded.

Dold was tased multiple times during the altercation.

About 12 minutes after first contact was made with Dold, he became unresponsive. Resuscitation efforts by responding law enforcement and medical units were unsuccessful.

Almost four months later, the medical examiner says four factors led to his death: an abnormal heart rhythm, conditions of his mental health diagnosis, as well as the use of physical force and an electrical weapon by officers added up.

Two Monroe Police officers, a Snohomish County Sheriff’s sergeant, two deputies and a master patrol deputy were placed on paid leave following the incident.

The family had been hesitant to involve the police that evening. Following Alex Dold’s death, his sister Jen Dold told the Monitor about their fear about involving law enforcement, who they said are not trained well enough to work with people with mental health issues.

Most Washington law enforcement officers have eight hours of crisis intervention training — CIT — or de-escalation training. The Douglas M. Ostling Act requires all general authority peace officers to meet those mandatory training requirements by 2021. It is recommended in the bill that 25 percent of all officers take a 40-hour CIT class.

Around the time Dold died, the police department had 12 officers that had completed the 40-hour course and one who completed the eight-hour course. That was more than half of the department’s patrol officers, and those who were not trained were continuing to be scheduled.

Duncan and Jen Dold had first exhausted local crisis lines trying to help Dold. The hope was that a mental health professional would take Dold to a hospital, where he would be involuntarily admitted. Each time they were turned down. Representatives said Dold was not enough of a threat to himself or others to warrant an involuntary hold. They suggested calling for a police escort. 

Dold had not been physically violent prior to the event with his mother, Jen Dold told the monitor. The argument that night had been about money.

One in 25 Americans live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Between 3-5 percent of violent acts are attributed to people with serious mental health problems. People with a mental illness are 10 times as likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the general population.

The Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team, which investigate use of force incidents in the county, has not released findings from the investigation that began this spring. The family has not taken any legal action against the sheriff’s office or Monroe Police Department.

As of the press deadline, Dold’s family had not returned a request for comment.