Inmate dies while locked up at Lexington County jail, sheriff says
.JPG "An inmate at Lexington County Detention Center died Monday, according to the sheriff’s department.")
An inmate at the Lexington County Detention Center died Monday, according to the sheriff’s department.
Leon Russell Black, 36, was found unresponsive in his bunk inside a cell early Monday, Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news release.
There were no signs of injury or anything else that would indicate a cause of death, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told The State Tuesday. An autopsy is being conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Fisher said.
More information could be available Tuesday afternoon, but results of a toxicology exam will take longer, according to Fisher.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the investigation into Black’s death, according to Koon.
Black had been in custody at the detention center since Feb. 19, when deputies arrested him on a state probation violation charge, Koon said.
In March 2020, Black was convicted on a count of aggravated breach of peace in addition to a drug charge, Lexington County court records show. The Lexington resident was sentenced to 6 years in prison, but the balance was suspended following 116 days of time served. He was ordered to serve 3 years of probation, according to court records.
The last inmate to die while being held at the detention center was Vincent Greg Horner Jr., the sheriff’s department said. The 53-year-old West Columbia man died in July 2020, according to the sheriff’s department.
Horner was found unresponsive in his bunk inside a cell with other inmates, Koon said last year.
Information about whether Black was in a private cell, or if he shared the space with other inmates, was not made available.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 1:40 PM.
