Inmate from St. Augustine dies in Florida prison

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The death of an inmate from St. Johns County who was serving time at a state prison in South Florida is under investigation.

Charles Patten, 34, died early Wednesday morning at the Okeechobee Correctional Institution.

The Florida Department of Corrections said Patten was housed alone. His cause of death was not released.

Patten was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this year over a 2015 incident in which he fired a shot at a St. Augustine police officer. He represented himself in trial. He was acquitted of attempted murder charges but convicted of possession of a firearm by convicted felon. He later pleaded guilty to two other weapons charges. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement with assistance from the Department’s Office of the Inspector General will investigate his death.  

"Due to the active investigation and the Federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, this is all the information the Department (of Corrections) has available to release at this time," a department spokesman said via email.