Theo Lacy Jail Inmate Dies at Medical Center

A 44-year-old inmate at the Theo Lacy Branch Jail died early Wednesday of unknown causes, officials said.

The man, whose name was being withheld pending family notification, was found unconscious on his bed during a 5 a.m. check, Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Garner said.

“When they shook him to wake him up, he didn’t respond,” Garner said.

Deputies called a nurse, who summoned paramedics when she discovered that the La Habra man was not breathing. The man was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he died less than two hours later, deputies said.

The inmate, who was serving time for violation of probation related to a drug possession conviction, had no known medical problems and did not show any sign of a medical problem the day before he died, Garner said.

The district attorney’s office will investigate the death, and an independent pathologist is scheduled to examine the body today to determine the cause of death, Garner said.