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Inmate Dies in Joe Arpaio's Towers Jail

The latest inmate to die in one of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jails is 47-year-old Felix Martinez-Torres."No suspicious circumstances are suspected in this case," the Sheriff's Office says in a statement...
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The latest inmate to die in one of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jails is 47-year-old Felix Martinez-Torres.

"No suspicious circumstances are suspected in this case," the Sheriff's Office says in a statement.

Torres was found sitting upright but unconscious in his cell early Sunday morning.

CPR was performed, but after being transported to Saint Joseph's Hospital, Torres was pronounced dead.

MCSO says Torres' family members told detectives that he "had a history of medical issues," and his cause of death will be determined through an autopsy.

Torres had been in MCSO custody for less than a week after being arrested on charges of driving on a suspended license and failing to appear in court.

See also:
-Joe Arpaio's U.S. Veteran Victim Marty Atencio: Family Files Suit
-Arpaio Sidesteps $3.25 Million Jail-Death Settlement
-The $8 Million Victim
-Public Pays in Jail Death
-Arpaio Turns a Blind Eye to Jailhouse Justice
-MCSO Shackling Pregnant Moms
-Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Jails Lose National Accreditation

See the statement released by the MCSO on the next page:

Early Sunday morning, October 6, 2013, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Public Information Unit was notified that inmate Felix Martinez Torres (47) was found by attending detention officers to be sitting upright but unresponsive in his Towers Jail cell.

Shortly after midnight, a Sheriff's officer called for assistance from Correctional Health Services medical staff. Nurses and detention officers from the Towers Jail Medical Clinic responded within two minutes.

According to log records, CPR was immediately initiated by detention staff and continued until 12:22 a.m. when members from the Phoenix Fire Department arrived at the jail. The Phoenix Fire Department took over CPR and transported the inmate to Saint Joseph's Hospital. Torres was pronounced dead by the staff at Saint Joseph's Hospital.

As per Sheriff's policy, Sheriff's detectives are investigating Torres' death. Cellmates have been interviewed as well as family members who told detectives that Torres had a history of medical issues.

Cause of death will be determined through an autopsy by the medical examiner.

No suspicious circumstances are suspected in this case.

Inmate Torres was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on 09/30/13 on warrants stemming from driving on a suspended license and a failure to appear in court.



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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.


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