Mentally-Ill Teen Arrested on Misdemeanors, Dies in Benton County Jail

An 18 year old that was arrested for misdemeanors has died in the Benton County Jail and the family has gathered to protest his death. Marc Anthony Moreno was found dead in his single person cell on March 11th after being arrested trying to get counseling at the Benton Franklin Crisis Response Unit in Kennewick. News reports say he was arrested because of 5 misdemeanor warrants, most of which were traffic cases.

While at the jail, Moreno was described as yelling regularly, stripping naked, throwing food, trying to force his way out of the cell, and refused to eat. Mental health professionals assessed Moreno daily and checked on him every 30 minutes. They found him unresponsive in his cell with no obvious signs of trauma at 7:30 a.m. March 11 and was pronounced dead soon after

The autopsy is scheduled for March 15th and officials say they are not suspecting suicide.