Maine mother sues Maine jail, medical contractor after son’s death

By Terry Stackhouse

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    AUBURN, Maine (WMTW) — A mother is suing the Androscoggin County Jail and a medical contractor over her son’s death behind bars.

It is the latest chapter in a story 8 Investigates has been following since November 2023.

According to the state medical examiners, Trevor Saunders, 25, died of complications from pneumonia inside the jail.

His mother, Pam Ashby, and her attorney claim Saunders’ illness was ignored while he suffered.

“It’s just unimaginable. I don’t understand. I can’t wrap my head around how many people saw and watched him deteriorate. They had days to do something,” Ashby said.

According to the complaints, Saunders’ condition deteriorated for three weeks after developing bed sores, which became infected.

“The more I read and found out, the worse it got. So it’s just been a living nightmare,” Ashby said.

Saunders, the father of a young boy, planned to serve 45 days for driving-related charges, including operating under the influence, as part of a plea agreement.

The sentence coincided with his recovery from a life-changing spinal stroke.

“Trevor was in there because he was paying his dues for a mistake he made. He was holding himself accountable for what he had done. He was doing what he was asked, and he died,” Ashby said.

The lawsuits state that on Nov. 18, Saunders died of lobar pneumonia.

In a medical malpractice suit, Ashby accuses the jail’s contractor, Correctional Psychiatric Services, of negligence in staffing, training and supervision.

“Corrections officers and the medical staff at ACJ had many, many opportunities to offer Trevor the care that he needed, and they decided not to do that,” said Rosie Wennberg, an attorney from Gideon Asen, the law firm representing Ashby.

A separate lawsuit against county staff claims the jail was deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of inmates, including Saunders.

“We feel like we have strong grounds to allege that this was part of a much bigger problem. And one of the driving factors of that problem was a desire to keep costs down for the county,” Wennberg said.

Androscoggin County Sheriff Eric Samson said their attorney has received the complaint, and they do not comment on pending litigation.

An attorney for CPS Health Care said they cannot comment due to patient privacy, but said they take concerns about care very seriously.

Both lawsuits state Ashby is seeking damages, but the court documents do not specify how much.

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