Ontario’s chief coroner’s office is investigating the death of an inmate at the Sarnia jail earlier this week.
Ontario’s chief coroner’s office is investigating the death of an inmate at the Sarnia jail earlier this week.
The provincial Ministry of the Solicitor-General said a man died on Monday in hospital after he was found by jail staff to be in “medical distress.” The Sarnia police and the man’s criminal lawyer also confirmed his death.
“Correctional staff at the Sarnia Jail found the inmate in medical distress and called paramedics immediately,” said Andrew Morrison, a spokesperson for the ministry, in an email.
“Correctional staff are trained to provide emergency medical care, including CPR and other life-saving measures, to inmates found in medical distress.”
Little is known about the man’s identity or why he was in detention. The man’s name has not been released, but sources said he was 33. He was expected to make an appearance in an Ontario Court of Justice bail court Thursday.
The man’s lawyer, Joseph Stoesser, described the man as “a very nice, kind, individual” and a “gentle spirit.”
He declined to add any further details until discussing the case with the man’s family.
Sarnia police also said they were aware of the death, but are waiting for the coroner’s findings before deciding whether there will by any further investigation.
In his email, Morrison said the Office of the Chief Coroner conducts an investigation to determine a cause of death. The ministry has its own mandatory internal investigation to see whether the jail complied with all policies and procedures.
The local police will be called in if the death is suspicious or “due to any criminal activity.”
“If it is determined that a death was not due to natural causes, a mandatory inquest is held to examine the circumstances and manner of death,” Morrison said in the email.
No other details have been released.
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This is not the first death reported at the small jail adjacent to the Sarnia courthouse on Christina Street. Ten months ago, a coroner’s inquest jury examining the death of Aaron Moffatt, 32, made 12 recommendations to improve the facility’s policies and practices.
Moffatt was found hanging from a bed sheet tied around a cell door and frame on Jan. 22, 2018. He died later in hospital.
After he had been remanded to the jail, he went without his regular doses of methadone that he had been receiving for six years. The inquest focused on how jails could better address the opioid crisis and treatment of recovering addicts.
The jury’s recommendations focused on improving access to medication and if prescribed methadone isn’t given to an inmate within 24 hours, they must be re-assessed for withdrawal symptoms.
Ontario’s correctional facilities have been under years of scrutiny and investigation because of violence, aging facilities and deaths.
London’s Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, where 19 inmates have died in the last 13 years, had been a focus of those probes.