Inmate found unresponsive at Mecklenburg jail has died, sheriff says
A Mecklenburg County jail inmate found unresponsive in his cell last weekend died Saturday at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Sheriff Garry McFadden said.
Juan Utuy-Sarat, 41, was hospitalized April 24, three days after he was jailed, McFadden said in a statement.
Lifesaving measures administered, sheriff says
Utuy-Sarat was jailed on a misdemeanor domestic violence protective order violation, jail records show.
When he was found unresponsive just before 5 p.m. last Saturday, “lifesaving measures were administered and continued until emergency medical personnel arrived,” the sheriff said.
Charlotte firefighters and Mecklenburg EMS paramedics arrived in minutes and continued lifesaving efforts before taking Utuy-Sarat to the hospital, McFadden said.
SBI leads investigation into death
McFadden said he offered his condolences to Utuy-Sarat’s family.
“Any time someone passes away in our custody, it weighs heavily on all of us,” the sheriff said. “We recognize the responsibility we have to every individual entrusted to our care, and I want the community to know that we remain committed to providing safe, secure and humane conditions inside our facility.”
He said the sheriff’s office is cooperating with the State Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating Utuy-Sarat’s death. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death, McFadden said.