Island County rehires jailer who was fired after inmate died

COUPEVILLE, Wash. -- A jailer is back to work after an arbitrator ruled the woman shouldn't have lost her job when Keaton Farris died of dehydration inside the Coupeville jail.

The Daily Herald reports Pamela McCarty's conduct in the days leading up to Farris' death last year was "serious and justified substantial discipline," but didn't warrant termination, according to the arbitrator.

Arbitrator Gary Axon wrote that McCarty shouldn't be held solely liable for a series of systematic failures inside and outside the jail that led to the 25-year-old man's death.

Under binding arbitration, the county was ordered to offer McCarty a job as a corrections officer — a demotion from her former position as a lieutenant.

Farris' dad, Fred Farris, called the arbitrator's decision a step backward in reforms at the 58-bed jail.