“She’s been hopeless before, but never suicidal,” said the relative, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect the inmate’s children. “That didn’t make sense.”
“We felt hopeless,” she said. “We thought she’d be safe in there. Thank God we’re not at a funeral.”
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Capt. Dennis Adams, warden of the jail, stressed that it’s still unclear whether the inmate overdosed. He said jail officials were notified the woman was slumped over in her cell, according to her cellmate.
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Adams said the 96 inmates in that cell block were body scanned by the jail’s new equipment and drug-sniffing dogs and officers searched every cell.
No drugs were found, Adams said, adding that it only “appeared” the woman overdosed.
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The 37-year-old woman from Hamilton was arrested and charged with theft on Sept. 18, 2016, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
INITIAL REPORT:
A female inmate in the Butler County Jail was found slumped over in her cell Saturday morning so she was transported to a local hospital to see if she overdosed, officials said.
Cpt. Dennis Adams, warden of the jail, said the female’s cellmate reported the woman was slumped over and said she may have overdosed.
However, Adams said no drugs were found on the inmate or in the cell.
Adams called smuggling drugs into the jail “a cat and mouse game” and said inmates are checked for possible drugs and there are periodical drug sweeps.
The county recently purchased a body scanner, a move Adams hopes reduces the amount of drugs in the jail. He called the scanner “another layer” in the jail’s security system.
Adams said an internal report did not list the inmate’s name, age, or her charges. She since has returned to the jail, he said.
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