LifeFlighted inmate dies over weekend

An inmate at the Whitman County Jail who was flown to a Spokane hospital last week has died.

Nicholas Bunch, 40, of Garfield, was found unresponsive in his cell by correction officers who were conducting regular rounds the evening of June 12. Officers notified emergency medical services and began to perform life-saving measures, and later took Bunch to the emergency room at Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics. He was then flown to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane that night.

Ariana Lake, Sacred Heart spokesperson, said June 13 that Bunch was in critical condition.

Bunch died over the weekend at Sacred Heart, according to a Whitman County Sheriff’s Office media release. Deputies have initiated an investigation and are awaiting findings from the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Bunch was arrested by deputies June 9 after he was allegedly seen driving a stolen vehicle and attempting to steal another car from a residence in Colfax. He was charged with burglary, two counts of taking a motor vehicle without permission, harassment, second-degree driving with a suspended license, an ignition interlock requirement violation and driving under the influence.

The case began when a homeowner had gone outside and saw a man in her driveway near her residence whom she didn’t know. She called a relative and asked the person to stop by her home, and the person allegedly saw Bunch loading items from a stolen blue Volkswagen Jetta into a vehicle that belonged to the resident.

The relative apparently told Bunch that the police had been called, and he began to unload items from the homeowner’s vehicle back into the Jetta.

He was reportedly seen driving eastbound on Dry Creek Road when deputies stopped the Jetta near milepost 9 and apprehended Bunch.

While investigating the incident deputies determined Bunch had allegedly entered a storage barn at the residence and moved the homeowner’s vehicle.

Earlier that day, deputies were notified of a blue Jetta driving recklessly and passing several cars on Washington State Route 195. Bunch was reportedly seen driving northbound when he turned the vehicle around and drove southbound before stopping the car on the highway.

A driver pulled off the highway and attempted to contact Bunch, who allegedly made a death threat to him.

Deputies later found that the Jetta Bunch was reportedly driving was stolen from a business in Garfield. While looking at court records, the Daily News found Bunch had been arrested in January for stealing another car from the same residence on Dry Creek Road.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com