Man incarcerated in Washington prison dies of coronavirus

OLYMPIA — A man being held in a Washington prison that had a COVID-19 outbreak has died of the disease.

Victor Bueno, 63, died Wednesday after spending about three weeks in a hospital near Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, according to the Washington Department of Corrections.

“The Department of Corrections is saddened by this loss,” said DOC Secretary Stephen Sinclair in the Thursday evening statement announcing Bueno’s death. “The health and safety of the incarcerated individuals, the community and our staff remains our top priority.”

Bueno entered the state’s corrections system on Sept. 28, 2017, after violating a protection order out of Kitsap County, the agency said. His estimated release date was Sept. 19, The Seattle Times reported.

He had been held in the minimum-security unit at Coyote Ridge, which is located in Connell. On May 31, Bueno was taken to a medical center for treatment for COVID-19, where he remained until he died, the agency said.

As of Thursday, there have been 129 confirmed COVID-19 cases at the prison, according to DOC.

In May, Berisford Anthony Morse, a DOC officer working at Monroe Correctional Complex, where at a more limited outbreak occurred, died from the virus.