‘Nothing abnormal’ before Sarnia Jail inmate’s body found, inquest hears

When Lindsay Doxtator started her Sarnia Jail night shift on Dec. 4, 2020, she noticed Travis Havers was a new inmate in the area she was guarding.

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But the corrections officer didn’t have any concerns about Havers, physically or mentally, or his cell as she did her rounds that Friday night.

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“Nothing stood out to me as being abnormal,” she told jurors Wednesday as a coroner’s inquest into Havers’ death at the jail continued.

She did notice “something out of the ordinary” about 1:40 am Dec. 5, 2020, Doxtator said. Some inmates hang towels or socks on cell bars overnight to dry, but an item in Havers’ cell caught her eye as it was higher up and tied, not draped.

Havers, 31, was pronounced dead 23 minutes later remotely by a doctor on duty at the Bluewater Health emergency department. A post-mortem found Havers died of asphyxia by hanging and a correctional officer found a suicide letter on the bed in Havers’ cell, according to an agreed statement of facts heard as the inquest began this week.

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Doxtator took the jury Wednesday through the discovery and the procedures she followed as the emergency unfolded. She immediately left the area and alerted her partner, with her voice and not her radio, because they’re not allowed to enter a jail unit by themselves for safety reasons. She also called for the rest of the staff and the sergeant on duty.

As other staff performed CPR, Doxtator grabbed a logbook to make notes of what was happening. She alerted the jail’s call center, who called 911. Sarniafire fighters and Lambton paramedics arrived soon after.

Doxtator was asked if there was anything that would have helped improve the emergency response that night.

“No,” she replied.

Havers was arrested Dec. 3, 2020 by Sarnia police on a warrant for breaching conditions of a conditional sentence, according to a statement agreed to by inquest and provincial government lawyers and Havers’ family. He was taken to the jail after a bail hearing that day and last seen by a corrections officer alive in a cell on Dec. 5 at 1:30 am, the statement said.

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At 1:36 am, surveillance video shows Havers securing a bedsheet around the cell bars – four minutes before Doxtator noticed it. Guards must do rounds at least every 30 minutes, but sometimes they do them more often, she said.

Havers had a history of suicide attempts, but denied having suicidal thoughts during the jail intake process, the statement said. Doxtator, who knew Havers from previous incarcerations, didn’t notice him having any issues that night.

She recalled he usually came into custody “troubled” and wanted to be left alone the first few days, but then he would start conversing with staff.

Corrections officer Robert Arnold previously said Havers was quiet and compliant during the intake process. Arnold later realized he’d missed an alert on a provincial offender tracking information system about a previous suicide attempt by Havers, believed to have taken place outside of a jail.

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The two corrections officers are among six witnesses expected to testify during this week’s inquest before a five-person jury, who may questions them directly before they leave.

The inquest, mandatory under the Coroners Act, will examine the circumstances surrounding Havers’ death. The jury won’t place blame, but may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future, according to the Solicitor General’s Ministry.

Havers was prescribed suboxone to treat dependence on opioid drugs, but had missed five days of doses. The jail physician had prescribed the treatment to begin the following day, the statement said.

Havers, a father of four, had many family and friends, according to his obituary.

With files from Paul Morden

[email protected]
@ObserverTerry

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