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Died in jail or a lockup

Jacob Allen Jones

26 years old · died October 15, 2022 · Crawford County Detention Center, Crawford County, Arkansas

Jacob Jones, 26, of Van Buren, was held at the Crawford County Detention Center and died in October 2022, less than a day after he was taken into the jail. His mother, Catherine Jones, said he and others held there had been asking for help for hours before he received medical care, and said, "they were supposed to protect him, he was supposed to be safe, and they let him die." Sheriff Jim Damante said the medical examiner's preliminary findings point to a drug overdose, and said a bag Jones swallowed had broken open in his stomach. Jones's estate has filed a lawsuit alleging that staff did not get him medical help in time after he showed he needed it. An autopsy, an internal investigation and a state police review are underway, and the cause and manner of death have not been finally determined.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). Sheriff Jim Damante says preliminary medical examiner results point to a drug overdose from a bag of methamphetamine that ruptured inside Jones, while his family and estate's lawsuit say staff did not respond to requests for help for hours and did not get him medical care in time.

Reported by: Crawford County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Jim Damante (the agency that held him); the medical examiner's office, as cited by the sheriff (medical examiner or coroner); Jones's family and his estate's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His estate sued Crawford County, alleging staff did not get him medical help in time.

News reports (7)

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