Another inmate death at Red Lake jail under investigation

An inmate death at the Red Lake jail is under investigation by the FBI, and the inmate’s family says there appears to be a troubling pattern at the facility.

“It’s just a torture chamber up there,” said Angel Powers, 24, whose father died in the jail last week, marking the third inmate death at the facility since 2022.

Robin Lee Hanson, 52, was found dead in the detention center April 2, the Red Lake Public Safety Department said in a news release Tuesday that identified the deceased and offered condolences to his family, who have held protests calling for accountability.

Red Lake Tribal Chair Darrell Seki Sr. said in a phone interview Wednesday that he is aware of the inmate death and has been advised to not comment until the FBI completes its investigation.

A spokesperson with the FBI declined to provide further information. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is also assisting in the investigation, said Red Lake public safety director Kendall Kingbird Sr. The BIA didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The detention center is regulated by the BIA, which governs daily operations at the facility that houses pretrial defendants and those sentenced to one year or less.

Powers said her dad and mom, Betty Ann Hanson, were both in custody for nearly three weeks in connection to trespassing charges. She said her mom had been banished from the reservation due to two raids at her house.

Red Lake legal counsel Joe Plumer said in response to an email inquiring on Hanson’s banishment that he cannot share information on the matter until the FBI investigation is complete, which he said may take up to a month.

Betty Ann Hanson was informed of her husband’s in-custody death while she was in jail and released on furlough the following day to make funeral arrangements.

In online tributes, many in the Red Lake community affectionately called Robin Hanson by his nickname, “Fats.”

“He used to be chubby back in the day, and everyone just knows him as this really nice person,” Powers said. “He always would do something for you if you needed it. He fixed cars, give you rides. He was just a really great person.”

Powers said other families were at the protests Tuesday who have lost loved ones in custody at the jail.

According to an online fundraiser made by White Owl’s family, “she passed while in custody at the Red Lake Jail to negligence in the arms of her daughter Danitra [Warpaint]. Our family is asking for justice for the inhumane treatment she received while in the care of the Red Lake Tribal Jail.”

Fairbanks’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit last year against the jail and BIA. The lawsuit accuses detention center staff of failing to provide necessary medical care for his hereditary angioedema, a rare genetic condition that can cause severe swelling, pain and, if untreated, fatal complications.

Hanson had diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney issues, Powers said. She believes her dad died from medical neglect, adding there was a cellphone video circulating of her dad in the jail defecating himself and not getting help.

“It’s super shocking,” she said. “It’s still unbelievable.”