At approximately 9:50 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2016, a 69-year-old male inmate suffered a cardiac related medical emergency while incarcerated at the Santa Barbara County Jail.
He was in a dormitory housing area of the jail and was discovered by another inmate who notified custody staff for help.
While being transported by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the decedent went unresponsive and life-saving procedures were performed.
Upon his arrival to the emergency room, a Cottage Hospital emergency room doctor determined that the decedent was not responding to treatment, and at 11:50 p.m. he was pronounced dead.
The Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting a death investigation and an autopsy was performed. While a final cause of death determination is pending toxicology results, preliminary indications are that the decedent appears to have died from natural causes.
The name of the decedent is not being released until next of kin is located and notified. He was booked into jail on December 22, 2016 by the Santa Barbara Police Department for a failure to appear warrant and on a charge of obstructing and resisting a public officer.
Kelly Hoover is a public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.