A death investigation is underway after an inmate at the Columbia County Jail was found unresponsive Tuesday morning.
According to a news release from Detective Captain David Clark, a jail deputy was conducting a routine wellbeing check of inmates around 5:10am Tuesday when they discovered an inmate unresponsive while lying in bed in his cell.
Authorities say the deputy recognized the inmate was in medical distress and requested assistance. The inmate was moved to the floor, where the deputy determined he was not breathing and did not have a pulse.
Additional jail deputies responded, and Portage EMS was requested. Jail staff began CPR, and EMS personnel continued resuscitation efforts after arriving, but those efforts were unsuccessful. The inmate was pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office says the inmate was a 58-year-old man who had been held in the Columbia County Jail for approximately two months on felony bond for an OWI 12th offense and a State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections hold. Authorities say he was housed in a cell by himself.
Because the man was confined in the Columbia County Jail at the time of his death, a detective with the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office was requested to oversee the investigation.
According to the release, the preliminary investigation indicates the inmate suffered a medical event while asleep in bed. Authorities say Columbia County jail deputies had body-worn cameras activated during the inmate checks and are fully cooperating with the investigation.
