An inmate at the Rockdale County jail died Friday after experiencing some type of medical complication during a routine headcount the day before, authorities said.
The inmate, whose name was not released, was helped by jail medical staff until paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital, according to Rockdale County sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Lee Thomas.
Shortly after 3 a.m. Friday, about eight hours after the initial episode, the inmate “succumbed to his condition” after undergoing “intense treatment by the hospital staff,” Thomas said.
The GBI is handing the investigation into his death. No further information was released by the state agency Friday.
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“Additional details will be released as they become available during the investigation,” Thomas said in a news release.
Rockdale County jail staff came under fire after mentally ill inmate Shali Tilson died in his cell in 2018. Tilson's death sparked community protests and led to operational changes at the jail.
A special-called grand jury impaneled by the district attorney decided in September that Tilson's death was preventable but did not see grounds for criminal charges.
Tilson had been in custody on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for nine days. He died from blood clots that formed in his lungs due to dehydration, according to an autopsy conducted by the GBI.
In September, a Rockdale County detention center official was arrested after he admitted to sexually assaulting a female inmate. Deputy Aaron Frank was taken into custody after confessing to the assault during an interview, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
The alleged assault happened in the laundry facility of the Rockdale jail’s women’s annex, the statement said.
And in July 2018, a Rockdale County detention deputy was accused of smuggling drugs into the jail.
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