GLEN - Family members of Kurtis Glasser, the Montgomery County Jail inmate found dead in his cell early Tuesday morning after apparently committing suicide, said this morning they believe his bipolar disorder may have had something to do with his death.
Glasser's stepfather, Barney Custer, said his stepson was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007.
Custer said his stepson's suicide was out of the blue. He said the young man had been in good spirits in the weeks leading up to the suicide.
Glasser's mother, Claire Glasser-Custer, said her son was a helpful and polite young man with a big heart.
"Everyone who knew him knew what kind of person he was," she said.
In high school, he was a runner on the Fonda-Fultonville track and cross-country teams. He was a former member of the Fulmont Roadrunners Club and studied culinary arts at the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
"He was very active in anything outdoors; swimming, boating, fishing," she said.
Glasser, 19, was found dead at 3:56 a.m. Tuesday at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
John Caher of the New York State Commission of Correction said the death was reported to his office as a hanging. He said the agency has not yet begun investigating the death.
Caher declined to give any further details of Glasser's death due to the ongoing investigation. The Sheriff's Office also is not releasing any details until the investigation is complete.
Caher said the investigation could take months.
Custer said he had not been given any more information other than Glasser "had been determined [to commit suicide]."
Glasser was arrested after deputies said he broke into a North Green Road home in Charleston and stole 11 rifles and four bottles of liquor. He then sold some of the guns to a person in Albany, authorities said.
Glasser-Custer said she talked to her son the night before his death, and he told her he did not know why he did what he did.
Montgomery County sheriff's investigators, Albany police and federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents executed a search warrant on Glasser's Logtown Road residence, and several of the weapons were found.
Glasser-Custer said her son fully cooperated with the investigation. She said her son traveled to Albany in his own vehicle to try and help the police get the guns back.
She said deputies came to her home last Wednesday and used Glasser's computer to set up a meeting on Craigslist with the man who bought the guns. Her son was present in the room and helped the officers.
Custer said Glasser was told he would be walking away from the incident and believed this would be the case, but once the reality of what was happening hit him Monday night, he became depressed.
"I think he was misled. I think he was told he was going to walk away from this event," Custer said. "One day he's thinking he's going to walk away, and the next day he realizes he's in huge trouble."
Custer said Glasser also had been jailed last year and was released in January. He said his stepson went into jail on his medications for bipolar disorder, but sometime during his stay, his medication was stopped. He said Glasser had been good about taking his medication before going to jail last year.
"We're not getting information as to why it stopped," Custer said.
Custer said there needs to be an external investigation into what happened. He said the jail was aware his stepson had bipolar disorder.
Caher said his office was notified of the death Tuesday.
"We always investigate suicides," Caher said.
The team will look at whether the hanging was foreseeable and check if there were any psychological indicators, among several other things.
Caher said there are procedures dictating how long inmates go between being checked and how often mentally ill inmates are monitored. Inmates who show signs of emotional or mental disorders are supposed to be checked more frequently.
The agency will look into what could have been done to prevent the death and how future suicides can be prevented.
"Essentially, we want to look at what occurred here and [see] if it can be prevented in the future," Caher said.
Sometimes, though, Caher said a suicide can't be prevented.
"The typical inmate is not observed for 24 hours a day," Caher said.
The last suicide in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility was in 1982. Fulton County Jail Administration Randy Benedict said the Fulton County Jail has not had a suicide in the 19 years he's been there.
"It's always a tragedy. The question is if it's a preventable tragedy," Caher said.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. at Jackson & Betz Funeral Home in Fultonville. The Rev. Dr. R.W. Williams will be officiating. Glasser will be buried at the Ferndale Cemetery in Johnstown.
The family will be receiving relatives and friends on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
"He had a good heart, he really did," Glasser-Cutser said.
Kerry McAvoy covers Montgomery County. She can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com
