Jail prisoner hospitalized after suicide attempt dies

A Great Falls native who was hospitalized in critical condition after a suicide attempt in the Hill County jail Monday has died, the Hill County Sheriff's Office said today.

Sheriff Greg Szudera said Steven Borris, 20, died Wednesday at 11:15 a.m.

Borris was transported to Benefis HealthCare in Great Falls after a Havre ambulance took him from the detention center to Northern Montana Hospital on Monday.

Borris was arrested Saturday morning and was being held on a charge of endangering the welfare of children. He also was wanted on Havre City Court warrants and on a state District Court warrant from Cascade County.

He was the son of Iva Jenson of Havre and David Borris, who lives near Ronan, Jenson said today.

Szudera said he called in the Division of Criminal Investigation of the state Department of Justice to investigate the incident at the jail because the jail is operated by his department. Officers from the division arrived Tuesday evening, he said.

Havre police conducted the initial investigation of the scene Monday.

Szudera said Steven Borris had given no indication of depression or shown any need for a special watch by corrections officers. The cells are checked every half hour, 24 hours a day, he said.

When a staffer at the jail discovered that Borris had attempted to asphyxiate himself, the officer applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Szudera said.

A corrections officer serving a meal at the detention center had seen Borris about 10 minutes before his asphyxiation attempt was discovered, the sheriff said.

Lynn Solomon, public information officer for the state Department of Justice, said the Division of Criminal Investigation investigates incidents at the request of specific law enforcement agencies, including sheriff's offices. Investigators are usually requested for complex incidents, homicides or internal issues, she said.

Solomon said the investigators typically cannot comment on ongoing investigations.

Borris was arrested Saturday on a charge of sexual assault, which was dropped, and a charge of endangering the welfare of children for allegedly drinking alcohol with a minor. He was also held on a Havre City Court warrant issued Oct. 23 for traffic offenses and on a City Court warrant issued Aug. 21, 2002, for failure to appear at a pretrial hearing on a charge of assault. While he was in the Hill County jail, Borris was served the state District Court warrant from Cascade County for a charge of failing to appear at a hearing about a robbery charge on May 5, Havre Assistant Police Chief George Tate said.

Tate said Tuesday the charge of sexual assault was dropped after both Borris and the 15-year-old girl he was accused of having sex with said there had been consensual sexual contact, but no penetration. Under Montana law, consensual sexual contact with a person over 14 with no penetration is legal, Tate said.