Family wins $2 million settlement after 19-year-old died in custody – KSJB AM 600

Rolette County Jail and two officers will pay $2 million to Jessica Allen, mother of Lacey Higdem, who died at age 19 while in custody on June 4, 2020. The settlement, described as “unprecedented” for a North Dakota jail death case, came nearly five years after Higdem’s death and three years after the lawsuit was filed. Higdem was arrested for disorderly conduct after being found hallucinating under the influence of methamphetamine in the woods. Despite being medically cleared and initially cooperative at booking, her condition deteriorated over nine hours in a lockdown cell. Officers April Azure and Myles Brunelle failed to conduct mandated hourly checks for nearly three hours, instead engaging in an affair and watching movies while ignoring emergency calls from concerned inmates. This was the jail’s second in-custody death in two years, prompting North Dakota’s Department of Corrections to shut down the facility for over two months due to safety violations. The settlement will help support Higdem’s now 5-year-old son, Liam, who lives with his grandmother. In an interview with InForum, Allen said, “If they would have just done their job, she could be here today.” 
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