$2M sought in slip-and-fall claim

SANDPOINT — A federal prisoner is seeking $2 million in personal injury damages after being injured in a fall at the Bonner County Jail.

Kenneth Dean Flowerdew said in his notice of tort claim that he suffers from chronic back pain after slipping in a puddle attributed to a leaky roof at the jail. The tort claim serves as an intent to sue if damages are not awarded.

The claim was filed in 1st District Court on Friday. It seeks damages from Bonner County and the U.S. Marshal’s Service, which uses the jail to house federal defendants.

Flowerdew, a 44-year-old Post Falls resident, was being held at the jail for allegedly violating the terms of his release in a steroid-smuggling case, according to U.S. District Court records.

Flowerdew said in the claim that a series of water leaks broke out in the ceiling of his cell last month. A jailer placed buckets in the cell to collect the stormwater, but they were later taken away by another jailer who said the inmates were not authorized to have the containers, the claim said.

Flowerdew said he jumped down from his bunk on March 21 and slipped on the wet floor, unaware more stormwater had gathered, the claim said.

Flowerdew was hospitalized for an unspecified amount of time, according to the claim.

Flowerdew was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of smuggling anabolic steroids into the country and three counts of importing a controlled substance from China in 2008, federal court records indicate.

Bonner County officials do not comment on tort claims. If the claim is rejected, Flowerdew would be permitted to pursue his claims in the state’s district court.