LAKEPORT, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the death of a Lake County Jail inmate that occurred Saturday morning.
The identity of the male inmate was not released in a Saturday evening report from Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At approximately 9:05 a.m. Saturday a correctional officer conducting routine cell checks inside a housing unit at the facility noticed something was wrong with the inmate and contacted medical staff, who immediately responded to the location, Brooks said.
An assessment conducted by medical staff determined that the male subject was not breathing and did not have any vital signs. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was started by medical and correctional staff, Brooks said.
Brooks said Central Dispatch notified the Lakeport Fire Department, which responded to the facility with rescue personnel.
Rescue personnel continued CPR for several minutes, but were unable to revive the subject or detect any signs of life. CPR was discontinued at approximately 9:30 am., Brooks said.
Brooks said Lake County Sheriff’s detectives and an investigator from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office were called out to the scene, along with members of the sheriff’s command staff.
Both the sheriff's office and District Attorney's Office are conducting parallel investigations as to the circumstances leading up to the death, including the cause, Brooks said.
District Attorney Don Anderson confirmed to Lake County News that his office was involved in examining the case, noting that he had two investigators at the jail for much of the day Saturday.
Brooks said the inmate was housed alone and foul play does not appear to be a factor in the cause of death.
The exact cause of death is still under investigation and pending the results of an autopsy, which will be scheduled for early next week, Brooks said.