Official statement on jail death

Inmate Found Unresponsive, Pronounced Dead on Scene

An inmate died at the Escambia County Main Jail after being found unresponsive Wednesday, Nov. 19 from an apparent medical condition. Escambia County Corrections medical personnel discovered 21-year old Samuel Devon Averheart unresponsive in the infirmary unit and called emergency medical services at 3 a.m. with crews arriving on scene at 3:09 a.m. He was pronounced dead at 3:23 a.m.
Averheart was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 10, charged with felony violation of probation and held without bond.

He was moved to the infirmary on Tuesday, Nov. 17 after being evaluated, treated and released on the same day by a physician at a local hospital for a medical condition. Jail records show he was housed alone and checked every hour by medical staff since being released back into custody.

The Sheriff’s Office was notified and is investigating as is standard procedure. Escambia County takes the responsibility for health care of each inmate very seriously. The main jail is accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, which sets the standard recognized by the medical profession and the courts as the benchmark for establishing and measuring a correctional health services system.

Share: