Inmate, 29, Found Dead Inside His Cell At Santa Barbara County Main Jail

SANTA BARBARA (AP) — Authorities say an inmate has died in his cell at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Drew Sugars said Sunday that a custody deputy at the jail found 29-year-old Juan Rodriguez-Zepeda of Lompoc unconscious and not breathing in his cell Friday.

Several deputies tried to resuscitate Rodriguez, followed by county firefighters and paramedics, but all were unsuccessful and the inmate was declared dead about 25 minutes after he was discovered.

Sugars says sheriff's detectives are investigating the death, but Rodriguez-Zepeda was alone in his single-person cell and it appears there was no foul play.

Rodriguez-Zepeda had been jailed since March 21, when he was booked on suspicion of drunken driving and vehicular homicide.

The county coroner's office is investigating the cause of death.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)