A 52-year-old man serving time for non-violent offenses inside the Santa Barbara County jail died at a nearby hospital on June 15, according to officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Jail and medical staff responded to a call of a “man down” in the general housing unit of the facility at 12:40 a.m. and found Ray John Herrera on the floor of the restroom apparently suffering from a medical emergency.
Personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and American Medical Response came to the scene and began treating Herrera, who was transported to the hospital.
Despite attempts to save his life, Herrera was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later.
SBSO officials said they weren’t sure what killed Herrera. The Sheriff’s Coroner’s Unit scheduled an autopsy for Herrera on June 16, but determining the cause of death is pending toxicology and lab results, which won’t be available for several weeks, the SBSO said.
“At this point, it appears that Herrera had a medical emergency, and no foul play is suspected,” said SBSO Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover.
According to Hoover, Herrera was in jail for two probation violation warrants for being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and for driving with a suspended license. Arrest records show that Herrera was from Lompoc.
This article appears in Jun 18-25, 2015.