Deputies ID inmate who died in Spalding County jail

Denver Charles Perkins

Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office

Denver Charles Perkins

Police have identified the inmate who died in custody Friday afternoon at the Spalding County jail.

Authorities said Denver Charles Perkins, 44, died about 2 p.m. after deputies were made aware of “an inmate in distress.”

The jail’s medical personal and deputies administered first aid to Perkins, who was taken to WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital and pronounced dead, deputies said.

Perkins was awaiting trial for child molestation and aggravated sexual battery charges, said Spalding County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Dwayne Jones.

The GBI is handling the death investigation.

Spalding Sheriff Darrell Dix said in a statement that the jail’s surveillance video showed deputies respond to the inmate in less than a minute, despite “misinformation” that has been shared on social media about their response time after inmates called for help.

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