Homeless Norway man dies in jail

Reid Ross Photo:

RECENT DEATH — Reid Ross died of undetermined causes while in an observation cell at the Androscoggin County Jail.

NORWAY — Norway resident Reid Ross, 53, died while in an observation cell at the Androscoggin County Jail on Sunday.

Ross recently said that he was "really petrified" about his living situation in an Advertiser-Democrat story about area homelessness.

Ross was plagued by physical and mental disabilities, including depression, and considered himself in danger of becoming homeless after a late-January eviction from his apartment at 76 Beal Street, where he had failed to pay the rent.

Ross' spiral toward homelessness began in 2008, when he and his wife, who also suffers from a range of disabilities, purchased a home in Wilton that was meant to bring the couple closer to medical services.

The home that Ross purchased was not up to code, and Ross was eventually forced to move out, after a court order condemned the house, according to Sun Journal reports.

After the condemnation, Ross moved to his Beal Street apartment, where he was evicted January 27, also by court order, as a result of nonpayment of rent, according to landlord Porter Leighton.

Ross and his wife stayed for a period of weeks at the home of an acquaintance, but had no long-term living plans, and he speculated that he might wind up living in a cardboard box in front of the Norway town office.

According to reports, Ross was jailed after being charged with criminal threatening and violating bail conditions, as well as unpaid fines and fees of more than $1,500.

An official who works with the state's initiative against homelessness and asked that he not be identified, says that Ross' case can be seen as exemplifying the relationship between difficult life situations, such as an inability to pay for mandatory home repairs, and homelessness.

"His case is not entirely unique," he said. "Factors such as physical health, mental health, and substance abuse also often lead to homelessness."

According to the Treatment Advocacy Center of Virginia, "people with untreated serious brain disorders comprise approximately 16 percent of the total jail...population."

In an effort to find help with his impending homelessness, Ross reported that he had placed more than 90 calls in a two-day period to agencies, legislators, and municipal offices in the area.

Ross was a former taxi driver, but gave up driving after experiencing five traffic accidents in one day. He experienced severe bouts of dizziness, loss of balance, and extensive memory loss, forgetting at times how he came to be in a particular location.

The exact cause of his death is under investigation.