Mat-Su inmate injured in jump

PALMER — A 39-year-old inmate was taken to the hospital after he was injured in a jump from the second tier of the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility at about noon Monday, authorities said.

Department of Corrections officials said the man was being held on a first-degree trespassing charge when he attempted suicide, according to Sherrie Daigle, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.

Responders said the man was conscious, alert and responsive as they transported him away from the scene. The man had been in jail for almost five days at the time of the jump, Daigle said.

Palmer Fire and Rescue officials said they transported him to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for treatment, and declined to comment on the extent of his injuries, citing medical privacy law.

Corrections officials are not indentifying the inmate beyond age and gender out of concerns about his medical privacy, Daigle said.

The last death at the facility was in August, when a 37-year-old Anchorage woman apparently died of natural causes, according to authorities.