Coroner: Cause of death for Lake County jail inmate unknown

A Waukegan man who died after being found unresponsive in a maximum-security cell at the Lake County jail did not have any signs of trauma, coroner officials said.

The cause of death for Edward Robinson III, 32, cannot be determined at this time, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said in a news release Friday. He added the coroner's office will need to conduct further testing and await toxicology reports before determining the cause of death.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran placed two Lake County jail supervisors on leave and two top commanders were demoted Thursday, one day after Robinson was found unresponsive in his cell at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Robinson was treated with an automated external defibrillator before Waukegan paramedics arrived. He was transported to Vista East Hospital in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead.

Initially, police said Robinson was a 31-year-old man from Park City, but the coroner said Robinson was age 32 and from Waukegan.

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the inmate's death, which is protocol.

Curran said he made changes to the jail's leadership structure after seeing a video and becoming concerned with the response of staff members and command officers.

A lieutenant and sergeant were placed on administrative leave, while Chief Dave Wathen and Deputy Chief Ted Uchiek were demoted, Curran said. An interim chief is in place and a nationwide search for a new jail chief will begin after the Nov. 6 election.

Authorities said Robinson was being held in the jail on felony charges since July. A judge determined he was mentally unfit to stand trial, and authorities said they were waiting for the Illinois Department of Human Services to determine appropriate placement and treatment options.

He was held in the jail's administrative segregation unit, a maximum-security area, because of his disruptive behavior and threats to harm other inmates, authorities said. That unit houses one inmate per cell.