Tag Archives: Sarah Lee Circle Bear

Authorities End Investigation Into Death Of Sarah Lee Circle Bear

Photo courtesy Terrance Circle Bear Sr. On July 5, 24-year-old Sarah Lee Circle Bear of Clairmont, South Dakota, was found unconscious in a holding cell in Brown County Jail in Aberdeen. Circle Bear, a Lakota, was jailed on a bond violation.

By Simon Moya-Smith / Indian Country Today

The South Dakota State Attorney General announced Tuesday that authorities have officially concluded their investigation into the death of a Sarah Lee Circle Bear, the 24-year-old Lakota mother of two boys who family claims was pregnant when she died in police custody in South Dakota last July.

In August, Attorney General Marty Jackley said, citing the toxicology report, Circle Bear, of Clairmont, died of a drug overdose after methamphetamine was found in her blood.

Circle Bear, who was arrested on a bond violation following a traffic accident on July 3, somehow smuggled the narcotic into the Brown County Jail in Aberdeen, South Dakota, states a press release sent to ICTMN by State Attorney spokeswoman Sara Rabern on Tuesday.

“After the review of jail surveillance video and numerous interviews, investigators found no evidence to indicate Circle Bear obtained methamphetamine while in custody at the Brown County Jail and the totality of evidence demonstrates she brought the controlled substance into the Brown County Jail in a way that was not detectable from regular and acceptable jail procedures,” the press release reads.

Authorities concluded that jailers were closely monitoring Circle Bear while she was in her cell, a finding that stands in stark contrast to a statement made by an inmate that jailers had allegedly ignored Circle Bear as she shouted for help as she suffered excruciating abdominal pain. The jailers allegedly told Circle Bear to “knock it off” and “quit faking.”

According to the press release, after a nearby inmate signaled for help, “[Circle Bear] was removed from cell block and taken to a holding cell where she was more closely monitored by jail staff for the next two hours, including checking her vital signs and consulted medical staff via telephone. At 10:37 a.m. Circle Bear was then found unresponsive and EMT services were called immediately.”

Terrance Circle Bear Sr., Sarah Lee’s father, told ICTMN on Tuesday that he feels the Brown County Sheriff’s Office is withholding information.

“If she was more closely monitored why didn’t they take her to the hospital?” he asked.

Authorities also claim that three times authorities asked Circle Bear if she was under the influence of drugs. “Each time she denied,” the press release reads.

In August, ICTMN had requested the toxicology report on Circle Bear to confirm her pregnancy at the time of her death, but Rabern said it is against South Dakota state statute to release toxicology reports to the public.

Circle Bear’s two sons are currently living with their grandmother.

Read the entire press release: Release of Additional Findings on Death Investigation of Sarah Circle Bear at the Brown County Jail

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/09/03/authorities-end-investigation-death-sarah-lee-circle-bear-161621

Autopsy: Sarah Lee Circle Bear Died Of Meth Overdose Two Days After Arrest

By Red Power Media, Staff

After over a month of investigation, Attorney General announced Thursday that Sarah Lee Circle Bear died of a meth overdose.

The 24-year-old Lakota woman from Claremont, died while in Brown County Jail, the afternoon of July 5, some 52 or so hours after being arrested.

The attorney general’s office explains the death was due to acute methamphetamine/amphetamine toxicity.

As the state’s investigation now turns to the source of the meth, a timeline is becoming clear that limits when Circle Bear could have been in possession of the drug.

Circle Bear was initially taken into custody July 3 by the South Dakota Highway Patrol after being involved in a traffic accident in Roberts County around 7 or 8 a.m., said Sara Rabern, spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.

Wayne Pahl was also in the vehicle with Circle Bear during the accident, Rabern said. Both taken to the Roberts County Jail.

At the Roberts County Jail, it was discovered that Circle Bear was wanted in Brown County for a bond violation. She spent most of July 3, a Friday, in the jail until she was taken to the Brown County Jail, Rabern said.

Circle Bear arrived at the Brown County Jail just before midnight on July 3, Rabern said.

Generally, when an inmate goes through the intake process at the Brown County Jail, he or she is required to undergo a health screening. Staffers ask the inmate a series of medical questions, including about the use or ingestion of any drugs or alcohol.

Authorities have not said if Circle Bear was intoxicated or on drugs when she was booked into Brown County Jail.

On July 5, Circle Bear was found in a holding cell unconscious and unresponsive and taken to Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, where she was declared dead by a doctor.

Brown County coroner Michael Carlsen said Circle Bear was declared dead at 1:22 p.m. July 5 at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital. However, a Marshall County court document seeking court-appointed attorney fees concerning a case in which Circle Bear faced minor drug charges includes a clerk’s note that Circle Bear died in the Brown County Jail.

From the time Circle Bear was arrested in Roberts County until the time of her death, she was in custody.

Circle Bear’s family questions the circumstances of her death.

It is unknown as to how the toxic and deadly levels of methamphetamine (meth) found a way into Circle Bear’s bloodstream, and her father, Terrence Circle Bear, has his doubts about the cause of death.

“How did she get that much meth?” Terrence Circle Bear said by phone Friday.

Circle Bear said another daughter, Adrienne Yancey, is in possession of the jumpsuit Sarah Circle Bear was wearing at the time of her death.

“It had blood on it,” Terrence Circle Bear said. “How do you explain that from a meth overdose?

Circle Bear’s family said that she was pregnant at the time of her death. But, evidence of a pregnancy was unfounded during the autopsy.

Sarah Lee Circle Bear Was Pregnant When She Died in Police Custody, Family Says

The autopsy also showed no indication that Circle Bear had, for example, swallowed a plastic bag that contained meth.

Brown County Sheriff Mark Milbrandt declined to comment until an ongoing state investigation into the source of the meth is finished.

Brown County coroner Mike Carlsen told the Associated Press that Circle Bear had sustained minor injuries from a car crash sometime prior to her death.

A witnesses said that when Circle Bear was transferred to the holding cell, she told guards that she was in excruciating pain. Jail personnel reportedly told her to “quit faking” and “knock it off” before lifting her partway off the floor and dragging her to the cell where she was later found unconscious.

Police Told Native American Woman “Quit Faking” Before She Died In Police Custody

Circle Bear’s death is making the rounds in some online media as a parallel to the Sandra Bland case in Texas.

The death of Bland, an African American woman who died in a jail cell on July 13 , has the nation abuzz about the ongoing saga of police brutality against people of color, and this time, it is becoming even more apparent just how poorly women of color are treated.

Even if the death of Circle Bear, is what the autopsy report says it is, why did Brown County Jail officials not see signs of drug use and an overdose reaction coming?

Sarah Lee Circle Bear Was Pregnant When She Died in Police Custody, Family Says

Sarah Lee Circle Bear, above, was pregnant with her third child when she died in police custody last month, her family says.

Indian Country Today

Sarah Lee Circle Bear, a 24-year-old Native American mother of two boys, was pregnant when she died in police custody in South Dakota last month, Circle Bear’s family says.

In June, Circle Bear told friends she was expecting her third child and that she was concerned about her pregnancy, Adrienne Yancey, Circle Bear’s older sister, toldICTMN. Yancey said Circle Bear had complications with her last pregnancy and was consulting with physicians prior to her death.

“She had a hard time carrying her last baby,” Yancey said. “She had to go see the doctor all the time.”

On July 5, Circle Bear was found unresponsive in her cell at the Brown County Jail in Aberdeen, South Dakota, according to reports. She allegedly cried out for help because she was suffering from excruciating abdominal pain. But, said a witness, jailers on duty told her to “knock it off” and “quit faking.”

Circle Bear was later removed from the cell and taken by ambulance to nearby Avera St. Luke’s hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Terrance Circle Bear, Sarah Lee’s father, toldICTMNhe believes his daughter had already passed away before she was taken to the hospital. He said a nurse had told him by phone she arrived at the hospital not breathing and without a heartbeat.

“She wasn’t unconscious [in her cell],” Circle Bear said. “She was dead.”

Sarah Lee Circle Bear and her two sons. Her family says she was pregnant with her third child when she died in police custody last month. Photo courtesy Facebook.

Terrance Circle Bear, who is Cheyenne River Lakota and a father of six, said he wants to know why the authorities at the jail ignored his daughter’s pleas.

“She cried for help. She was in excruciating pain,” he said. “Why didn’t they take her to the hospital? Was it because she was Native American?”

Yancey said she is in possession of the prison jumpsuit Circle Bear was wearing at the time of her death – there’s blood on it, she said.

“They just handed it to me in a white bag. It just smelled weird, so I opened it up and I just seen the blood on there. So I just wrapped it back up,” she said.

Brown County coroner Mike Carlsen told the Associated Press that Circle Bear had sustained minor injuries from a car crash sometime prior to her death.

Like her father, Yancey wants to know why the jailers allegedly assumed Circle Bear was faking abdominal pain, and why they allegedly did not come to her aide.

“I just want justice for my sister. She could’ve been still alive today if they would’ve helped her,” she said.

Sarah Lee Circle Bear was being held for a bond violation, according to reports. She was living in Claremont, South Dakota, and was engaged to be married to Wayne Pahl. Pahl could not be reached for comment.

Circle Bear leaves behind two sons, ages 1 and 2. They are currently staying with their grandmother – Pahl’s mother – in Claremont.

Circle Bear’s cause of death has yet to be determined by the Brown County coroner. An autopsy was inconclusive, Carlsen told the Associated Press.

The Brown County Sheriff’s office did not respond to ICTMN’s request for comment.

ICTMN, Posted, 8/10/15

Source: http://ictmn.com/4ACi

Police Told Native American Woman “Quit Faking” Before She Died In Police Custody

Image: Sarah Lee Circle Bear (Facebook.com)

The deaths in police custody of women like Sandra Bland and Rekia Boyd have drawn national attention to the potentially lethal threats posed to women of color by racist police.

On Tuesday, Indian Country Today reporter Sarah Sunshine Manning wrote about the July 6 death of a 24-year-old Lakota woman named Sarah Lee Circle Bear of Clairmont, South Dakota.

Circle Bear was jailed on a bond violation at the Brown County Jail in Aberdeen. On Sunday, July 6, she was found unresponsive in a holding cell.

According to KELO, Circle Bear was taken to a nearby hospital where she died later that same day.

Witnesses said that when Circle Bear was transferred to the holding cell, she told guards that she was in excruciating pain. Jail personnel reportedly told her to “quit faking” and “knock it off” before lifting her partway off the floor and dragging her to the cell where she was later found unconscious.

According to Manning, “I recently learned about Sarah Lee Circle Bear while attending a family ceremonial gathering. A relative set out a memorial chair for Sarah, a tradition of the Dakota and Lakota people. Sarah’s story was shared, and the circle prayed for her and her family for four days.”

The 24-year-old left behind two infant sons, ages one and two.

Circle Bear’s family said that they await autopsy and toxicology reports.

Manning said:

When any person is taken into custody and under the care of law enforcement, it is their right to receive appropriate medical attention and just treatment. This does not appear to be the case with Sarah Lee Circle Bear, and in the state of South Dakota where Native Americans are the largest minority and hate crimes are reported at high levels, it is time to demand a thorough investigation into her neglect and her death. It is time to demand better treatment of Native women, and justice for Sarah.

https://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/quit-faking-police-ignored-native-american-womans-pleas-for-help-before-she-died-in-jail/