Authorities on Monday released the name of the Santa Barbara County Main Jail inmate who apparently took his own life over the weekend.
The inmate was Paul Howard Gillett, 64, of Santa Barbara, who had been in custody since late September, according to Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Custody staff conducting checks of inmates at 6:20 a.m. Saturday in the northwest module of the jail found Gillett unresponsive in his bunk.
“Custody staff entered the single-occupant cell and found a piece of linen fashioned as a ligature around the inmate’s neck,” Zick said previously.
Personnel from the county Fire Department and American Medical Response responded to the jail facility, but were unable to revive Gillett.
Gillett was booked into jail on Sept. 29 by the Santa Barbara Police Department, and was charged by the county District Attorney’s Office with assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, a felony, and misdemeanor battery, according to online court records.
Gillett also was being held on a court remand for a violation of probation for driving under the influence, Zick said.
His bail was set at $45,000.
“This death appears to be a suicide,” Zick said. “However, the final cause and manner of death is pending toxicology results.”
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations, Coroners’ Bureau and Administrative Investigations were investigating Gillett’s death.