Inmates charged in jail death case

FITZGERALD — Two Georgia inmates have been charged in connection with the death of a third inmate, authorities said Thursday.

Ben Hill County inmate Telvin King, 30, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, battery and tampering with evidence in the December death of 30-year-old Demetris Lewis, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Collin Smith, 24, is charged with tampering with evidence and false statements. The GBI charged the two men Jan. 26.

It was not immediately clear whether either man had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

The Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 17 asked the GBI to investigate after Lewis was found unresponsive in his cell. He was taken to a hospital in Fitzgerald and then was airlifted to another hospital in Macon, where he died from his injuries Dec. 19.

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King, Smith and Lewis are all from Fitzgerald.

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