Santa Barbara County Jail Inmate Dies of Apparent Suicide

A prisoner at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail died Wednesday of apparent suicide, the newspaper said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The inmate, who was housed in a single-occupancy observation cell at the inmate holding center, was found unconscious with a ligature around his neck around 4:50 p.m., said Raquel Zick, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.

Custodians, Welpad medical personnel and paramedics attempted to revive the inmate, who was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later, Zick said.

The victim was reportedly a 41-year-old Santa Ynez woman arrested in Buellton, but that could not be confirmed.

The inmate’s identity was being withheld pending notification of family members.

Zick said the inmate was arrested last Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, eluding a peace officer with willful disregard for the safety of others, and driving under the influence of drugs.

The inmate was taken into custody in lieu of $75,000 bail.

“Criminal Investigation Detectives, Coroner’s Office and Administrative Investigations responded to conduct multiple investigations,” Zick said. “The coroner’s office will conduct further investigations to determine the cause and manner of this death.”