Authorities are investigating after an inmate died at the Cobb County jail within 24 hours of being taken into custody.
The Cobb sheriff’s office has requested the GBI to investigate the man’s death, which happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the agency said in a news release.
The inmate, who was not named, was taken to jail Saturday evening on a criminal trespassing charge, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Saba Long. He was placed in a holding cell for intake, but “became destructive and combative,” Long said.
The inmate attacked deputies, leaving them with undisclosed injuries, officials said.
“Given the detainee’s aggressive behavior towards the deputies and medical staff and the sheer force with which he attacked them, there is reason to believe he may have been under the influence of a substance,” Long said.
No other details about the inmate’s death were released. The sheriff’s office said it is awaiting the results of a pathology report.
The GBI has not confirmed its involvement in the case. The death comes as the state agency is investigating another death of an inmate at the Clayton County jail, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Officers found Chaka Stewart dead in his cell May 14, the man’s mother told Channel 2. Stewart was booked into the jail three days earlier after leading Clayton deputies on a high-speed chase that ended on the sprawling Fayette County estate of rapper Rick Ross.
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest but did not release the man’s name or disclose his charges.
Jacqueline Gordon said she was told her son’s death was a suicide, but she questions if that is true due to a series of concerning calls he made to her during his time in custody.
“He said, ‘They’re beating me, and I’m not allowed to use the phone. They’re keeping me in a cell for 23 hours,’” Gordon told Channel 2. “He said, ‘I’m sneaking on the phone right now. Y’all have to get me out of here.’”
The GBI has not confirmed Stewart’s death.
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