Nicholas Lavon Oates
Nicholas Lavon Oates, 40, worked as a special education assistant for New Hanover County Schools. He was held at the New Hanover County Jail after his July 2018 arrest and died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center on November 3, 2019. The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office said he died of a pre-existing medical condition. Reporting does not make clear how long he was hospitalized or what care he received while in custody, and the county's insurance carrier set aside $40,000 for a potential malpractice claim, though the county said no claim had been filed.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. Lt. Jerry Brewer of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office said he died of a pre-existing medical condition.
Reported by: Lt. Jerry Brewer, New Hanover County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.