Lake County jail inmate's death to be probed under new protocol

A Lake County jail inmate was pronounced dead Friday at a Waukegan hospital after he was found unresponsive in the jail's medical unit.

Sheriff's officials announced the death of the 36-year-old inmate late Friday afternoon and said it will be probed in an independent investigation under a new protocol, which was adopted after a couple of controversial jail deaths in 2012.

An autopsy by the coroner's office found the cause of death appeared to be natural causes, pending final toxicology results, according to the sheriff's office news release. There weren't any signs of trauma, the release said.

Under the protocol, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force leads an independent investigation of any custodial death in the jail. Officials said the move was designed so facts surrounding a death are collected immediately and for greater transparency.

Sheriff's police said the man was put in jail Monday after being arrested in an unspecified town. He was accused of failing to appear in court on an arrest warrant on a possession of a controlled substance charge.

While in custody, the inmate reported he was ill from drug withdrawal symptoms, authorities said. He was placed in the care of the jail's medical unit.

After the man was found unresponsive Friday, officials said, jail medical personnel immediately began administering aid and an ambulance was summoned.