A DeKalb County jail inmate died after a medical emergency in his cell, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.
Charles Robert Smith, 31, died Monday after emergency responders were called. The jail’s medical team responded shortly after 10 a.m. to Smith’s cell and treated him until paramedics arrived, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson.
A cause of death has not been determined, the sheriff’s office said.
Smith, of College Park, had been in custody since Dec. 9 on two charges, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, jail records show. He previously served prison time from September 2018 until June 2023 following a conviction on drug charges, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
It was the second inmate death at the DeKalb jail in two months, according to the sheriff’s office.
In March, the medical team rendered aid to Christon Devante Collins, 27, in his cell until paramedics arrived. Collins was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The Atlanta man had been in custody since Feb. 4 on charges of obstruction and simple battery against police. One day earlier, he was released from the DeKalb jail after an arrest Feb. 1 on a criminal trespassing charge, records show.
After his death, Collins’ family said he suffered from mental health issues that were known to the sheriff’s office. Collins was a military veteran, his mother said.
“My son was sick,” Jonia Milburn said. “He was diagnosed. He needed treatment.”
Jails and prison facilities around metro Atlanta have come under fire in recent years due to high rates of inmate deaths.
A report released this year by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons criticized the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for more inmate deaths than any other prison in the country between 2014 and 2021. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office was also heavily criticized for 10 inmate deaths in 2023.
This year, three inmates have died in the Fulton jail and four have died in the Henry County jail.
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