No coroner's inquest in Ingram's death

By Ethan Smith

Leader Staff

County attorney Mitch Young has decided not to hold a coroner's inquest in the suicide of Randy Ingram, citing the fact that there doesn't appear to be any controversy surrounding the circumstances.

Ingram apparently shot himself during a traffic stop the night of July 18, after he had been stopped by a Polson police officer and later advised by the officer that he had concerns Ingram had been drinking.

A coroner's inquest — in which evidence is presented to a panel of civilians, which then renders a decision — is standard procedure when someone dies while in police custody, but Ingram was still in his vehicle and had not been arrested when the shooting took place.

"At the point that the shooting took place, I don't feel he was taken into police custody, but was just being questioned at that time," Young said. "He was not under arrest at that time, but was still in his vehicle."

That night, a truck driver heading south on Hwy. 93 observed Ingram driving behind him without his lights on, and stopped to inform Ingram of that, according to an investigation conducted by the Sheriff's office. Polson police officer Ernie Cahala pulled in behind Ingram's truck a few minutes later to see if anyone needed assistance, and to find out why traffic was being held up.

Upon encountering Ingram, Cahala said he suspected Ingram had been drinking, and told him he wanted him to take some field sobriety tests. According to video and audio recordings of the interaction, Ingram asked Cahala if he could drive his vehicle to a more convenient location, and asked the officer if he could contact his attorney. Cahala said 'no' to both requests, at which point Ingram shot himself, according to Sheriff's investigators who looked into the incident.

Results from the state crime lab later showed Ingram's BAC was well over the legal limit of .08.

The Lake County Sheriff's office was asked to investigate the situation by Polson police chief Doug Chase because the shooting involved a Polson police officer. Ingram's suicide shocked the Polson community, as most residents new the former mayor to be an easygoing person who was enjoying his return to the private sector after stepping down as mayor last fall.

Under state law, a law enforcement official is allowed to briefly detain a person for questioning, including asking for identification, which Cahala did, but Ingram was not considered to be in police custody because he had not been arrested and was still in his own vehicle, Young explained.

"The events of the situation appear to be pretty clear cut, and there didn't seem to be any doubt as to what happened," Young said. "Because there wasn't any doubt as to what happened, there doesn't seem to be a need for a coroner's inquest."

One of the primary purposes of an inquest is to "clear the air" in the event of a controversial death that took place while someone was in police custody, Young explained, but since Ingram was neither in custody nor did his death take place under controversial circumstances, an inquest isn't need.

According to state law, at least six but no more than 12 people can be selected among a pool of random, potential jurors, who must render a verdict as to the cause of death following testimony, Young said. However, Ingram's suicide — which was evident in video tape taken from Cahala's patrol vehicle — clearly showed it took place inside his own vehicle, according to Sheriff's investigators.

Cahala, and Sheriff's deputy Sgt. Luc Mathias, who had responded to back Cahala up, both submitted their sidearms for testing, and both agreed to blood tests and gunshot residue tests. The tests indicted neither man fired his gun, and only caffeine was detected in their systems.

"There doesn't seem to be any question as to what happened, and there doesn't appear to be any need to 'clear the air,'" Young said.