ARLINGTON, Va. — A recent inmate death in the Arlington County Jail is magnifying concerns from community leaders that not enough is being done.
Deputies found 73-year-old Abonesh Woldegeorges unresponsive around 7 a.m. on Sunday, according to Arlington County officials. She was transported to Virginia Hospital Center where she died.
Woldegeorges was in jail for a trespassing charge by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Aug. 13, and was awaiting transport to Loudoun County for a separate trespassing charge. Her cause of death is unclear pending a death investigation and a medical examiner’s report.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Abonesh Woldegeorges and extend our condolences to her family and friends,” said Sheriff Jose Quiroz in a statement to WUSA9. “I want to assure the community that caring for those individuals in our custody is a number one priority for me. We will continue to cooperate with both the police and Department of Corrections investigations and also continue to be transparent with the community.”
NAACP Arlington Branch President Michael Hemminger said this is the eighth inmate to die since 2015. All of them have been people of color.
“It’s unimaginable that a 73-year-old woman being held on trespassing charges would ultimately lose her life while in custody,” said Hemminger. “Unfortunately, we have seen a pattern and practice of blatant disregard for basic care at the Arlington County jail and it is leading to deaths at an alarming rate.”
The case comes after a recently settled a $10M lawsuit between the sheriff’s office, Corizon Correctional Health and the family of Darryl Becton, an inmate who died of heart complications in 2020. Becton’s family alleged health care providers failed to properly treat his withdrawal symptoms and address his medical needs.
It also comes as the sheriff’s office is under new guidance vowing more transparency. The team is supposedly conducting more inmate checks and recently began using new technology to better monitor heart rates and vitals.
Former NAACP Arlington County Branch President JD Spain says he is losing hope.
“I’ve heard this before,” Spain said. “There were promises made that we were going to get this behind us and take every measure that we could to ensure that no one else dies.”
Spain wants more county officials to step up.
“I challenge leadership not just to work in silos and pass the buck, but to work together to find out what is the root cause,” he added.
The NAACP Arlington County Branch is working to meet with government officials to discuss the incident and determine if any civil rights were violated.