Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigating in-custody death

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man who died while he was in custody.

The man, whose name as of Wednesday evening had not been released, was arrested Aug. 12 on a misdemeanor charge, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and went to his first scheduled court appearance. He was scheduled to be released on Aug. 13, but was told he had to return to his cell to wait for the discharge process.

JSO said he did not want to go back to the cell and that there was a physical altercation in which a corrections officer was bitten and the man suffered self-inflicted injuries. Police said the man was subdued, became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital where he died several days later.

The JSO Cold Case unit has looked at jail surveillance video of the incident and is awaiting an autopsy report from the medical examiner.