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Sheriff: Drug Overdose Kills Inmate at El Paso County Jail
April 9, 2007 4:29 PM
An apparent drug overdose killed an inmate at the El Paso County jail on Sunday.
The sheriff's office reports that 34-year-old Dustin Elbert was found dead at about 5:00 yesterday afternoon by a deputy conducting formal welfare checks. The deputy administered CPR until medical help arrived, and an ambulance was summoned. Ambulance staff declared him dead about 10 minutes after he was discovered to be unresponsive.
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The sheriff's office says an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a drug overdose, saying Elbert had apparently swallowed three baggies of a dangerous drug, and that two of those baggies had ruptured.
Elbert had been arrested about 24 hours earlier following a traffic stop on south Highway 85-87. He was taken into custody after a computer check revealed he was wanted on an outstanding parole violation warrant for escape and dangerous drugs. Elbert was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia during the traffic stop. He was charged with four violations, including driving with an open container of alcohol. After a blood and urine tests for drugs at Memorial hospital, the sheriff's office reports, Elbert was booked into jail on a no bond status. He was screened and cleared to enter the general population at the jail.
The sheriff's office says Elbert had an extensive criminal history, including 16 separate bookings into El Paso County jail, 13 of those bookings were for possession of a schedule 2 drug. Other arrests included charges of forgery, assault, motor vehicle theft and DUI.
Sheriff Terry Maketa says he hopes that Elberts, quote, tragic death will cause others living a similar lifestyle to see an urgent need to get help and change their course before its too late.
Posted by Eric Whitney on April 9, 2007 4:29 PM | Permalink
