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Arapahoe inmate in off-site program found dead

Posted at 9:55 PM, Sep 28, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-28 23:55:11-04

An inmate participating in an off-site program in Greenwood Village was found dead by police officers Sunday, a spokesperson for the Greenwood Village Police Department said. 

Michael Saw, 33, was participating in the Arapahoe Diverts Mentally Ill to Treatment (ADMIT) at the Hermitage Condominiums near S. Yosemite Street and E. Orchard Road when he was found by police at around 9 p.m. Another man at the condo was taken to a local hospital.

This is the second death in six weeks, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Julie Brooks.

Saw was found after his wife, who was not with him, called deputies because she had not heard from him.

He was serving a sentence for violation of a protection order and began the ADMIT program on June 9, 2015. He was expecting to graduate from the program in November, Brooks said. 

ADMIT is a voluntary participation program conducted in cooperation with the Aurora Mental Health Center, providing such services as integrated dual diagnosis and treatment; medication management and access; trauma services; vocational and recreation services; and transitional housing services. The program serves men and women age 18 and older who have been sentenced to the Arapahoe County Detention Facility and who meet the following criteria:

•    Serious mental illness or dual diagnosis with a serious mental illness and a substance abuse disorder;

•    Non-violent current conviction;

•    Sufficient length of sentencing to allow for appropriate intervention; and

•    Meet established standards for amenability to treatment.

The program allows those with mental health challenges to serve their sentence by participating in treatment and counseling, rather than being incarcerated.

The cause and manner of Saw's death is under investigation. 

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