An inmate at the Santa Barbara County Jail suffered a cardiac related medical emergency on Dec. 26 and later died, said Kelly Hoover, the public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
News of the inmate’s death was released to the public on Dec. 30. According to Hoover, the 69-year-old male inmate was in a dormitory housing area of the jail when another inmate discovered him and alerted jail staff.
While being transported to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara by ambulance, the inmate became unresponsive and life-saving measures were given, Hoover said.
Upon arriving at the emergency room, the inmate wasn’t responding to treatment and a doctor pronounced him dead at 11:50 p.m., Hoover said. The Sheriff’s Office won’t identify the inmate until family members are notified first. However, according to Hoover, the inmate was booked into jail on Dec. 22 after being arrested for an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant and also received an additional charge of resisting arrest.
An autopsy was performed, and the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation to determine cause of death, Hoover said, although it appears the inmate died from natural cause. As of press time, Hoover told the Sun that they haven’t been able to locate, but are actively looking for, the next of kin.
It’s the second inmate death to occur at the county jail on Calle Real in 2016. On Oct. 16, 38-year-old Hector Higareda died in his jail cell from an apparent suicide, Hoover said.
News of the inmate’s death was released to the public on Dec. 30. According to Hoover, the 69-year-old male inmate was in a dormitory housing area of the jail when another inmate discovered him and alerted jail staff.
While being transported to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara by ambulance, the inmate became unresponsive and life-saving measures were given, Hoover said.
Upon arriving at the emergency room, the inmate wasn’t responding to treatment and a doctor pronounced him dead at 11:50 p.m., Hoover said. The Sheriff’s Office won’t identify the inmate until family members are notified first. However, according to Hoover, the inmate was booked into jail on Dec. 22 after being arrested for an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant and also received an additional charge of resisting arrest.
An autopsy was performed, and the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation to determine cause of death, Hoover said, although it appears the inmate died from natural cause. As of press time, Hoover told the Sun that they haven’t been able to locate, but are actively looking for, the next of kin.
It’s the second inmate death to occur at the county jail on Calle Real in 2016. On Oct. 16, 38-year-old Hector Higareda died in his jail cell from an apparent suicide, Hoover said.
This article appears in Jan 5-12, 2017.