UPDATE: 3/3/24 — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who fatally overdosed at the Mendocino County Jail on Friday as 40-year-old Artemio Ortega Reyes from Ukiah. Staff at The Mendocino Voice offer our condolences to the decedent’s loved ones.
UKIAH, 3/1/24 — Five incarcerated people overdosed at the Mendocino County Jail in Ukiah today, and one of them died at the hospital. His name has not yet been released.
Jail employees were notified about the first overdose around noon. A deputy responded to the call and found that person’s cellmate unconscious. The deputy summoned other deputies and medical personnel and administered multiple doses of Narcan — a drug that can reverse opiate overdoses.
During the emergency, a Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant conducted a walk-through of the jail’s housing unit, finding four more individuals suspected of overdosing in multiple cells. They were transported to a hospital by ambulance for additional care.
Deputies say all five men were alive when they left the jail, but one did not survive. His next of kin had not yet been notified as of this afternoon.
This incident is under investigation, and deputies have not yet disclosed what specific drugs were involved or how they got into the jail. Readers can find the full press release below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Incident Number:
2024-4413Crime/Incident:
Medical Emergency – Fatal Incident ProtocolLocation:
Mendocino County Jail (951 Low Gap Road in Ukiah, CA)Date of Incident:
03-01-2024Time:
12:00 PMVictim(s):
N/ASuspect(s):
N/AWritten By:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184Synopsis:
On 03-01-2024 at approximately 12:00 PM the Mendocino County Jail control board operator received an intercom call from a cell located in a module within the facility’s main jail building.The intercom call was initiated by an inmate housed in a two-person occupied cell who asked for a Corrections Deputy to respond to the cell.
A Corrections Deputy responded and noticed one male inmate in the cell was unconscious with discoloring in the face which suggested a life-threatening breathing problem. The floor Deputy immediately summoned the assistance of other correctional staff to include on-duty facility medical personnel.
The Deputy entered the cell and began to provide life-saving techniques for a potential choking situation as the housing unit had just concluded lunch in a group setting before returning to their assigned cells for housing purposes.
During this process it appeared the inmate was not choking and multiple dosages of Narcan were administered due to a suspected drug overdose. As a result, the inmate began to show signs of recovery and improved health.
During this time a Corrections Lieutenant began to perform a walkthrough of the housing module to assess the health and safety of the other male inmates housed in this specific housing module.
During an inspection of a nearby cell, the Lieutenant found an unresponsive male inmate who was housed by himself. Correctional staff and personnel with the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority entered the cell and began providing medical aid to include the use of Narcan.
The Lieutenant continued the walkthrough of the housing module and inspected a nearby cell which contained three male inmates. The Lieutenant noticed one of the male inmates had an abnormally pale complexion and was sweating. Correctional and medical staff provided aid to the inmate to include the use of Narcan. These efforts resulted in an observed improvement in the inmate’s physical condition.
The Lieutenant continued the walkthrough of the housing module and inspected a nearby cell which contained one male inmate. The inmate was laying on the floor and was unconscious. Correctional staff and ambulance personnel, who had just arrived at the jail, entered the cell and provided medical aid to the inmate to include the use of Narcan.
The Lieutenant continued the walkthrough of the housing module and inspected a nearby cell which contained three male inmates. The Lieutenant noticed one of the inmates had an abnormally pale complexion and was sweating. As the Lieutenant interacted with the inmate, he noticed the inmate began to display an altered level of consciousness. Correctional and medical staff entered the cell and began to provide medical aid to include the use of Narcan on this specific inmate. As a result, the inmate began to show signs of recovery and improved health.
In total, five male inmates were provided medical aid for life-threatening suspected overdose conditions while being housed in the same housing module in the Mendocino County Jail.
These five male inmates were alive during onsite medical aid efforts and were subsequently transported by ambulance to a local hospital for further medical treatment for their continued life-threatening medical conditions. One inmate later died after arriving at the hospital.
The identity of the deceased inmate is not available for public release at this time pending notification of their Next of Kin.
Sheriff’s Detectives and investigators with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office are conducting investigations in connection with the Mendocino County Fatal Incident Protocol.
Approved by:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184
