Man Dies While in Custody at Santa Barbara Northern Jail

[Update: Dec. 30, 2022, 9:30 a.m.] The Sheriff’s Office announced today that the man who died was named Jaime Angel Gonzalez, who was 33 years old and lived in Santa Maria. The investigation into his death continues.

[Original Story] A man died at Santa Barbara County’s Northern Branch Jail on Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

The man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his relatives, apparently lived in Santa Maria. Deputies had gone to his address on a welfare check at around 7:49 that morning, and found him to be in violation of his parole. According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the man was arrested, taken to the jail, and later found to be unresponsive in a cell, where he was under observation. He was given naloxone repeatedly to reverse a possible opioid overdose by both custody deputies and Wellpath medical personnel. An ambulance was called once the individual regained consciousness, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The in-custody death is under investigation by the sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and Coroner’s Office. Once next of kin are notified and the investigation is concluded, the man’s name will be released, the Sheriff’s Office stated.

The frequency of overdose deaths at the Northern Branch Jail resulted in the arrest of several people and a ban of some commissary workers in mid-December, which the Independent reported on here.

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