NEW ORLEANS — The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office says an Orleans Justice Center detainee has died after he was found ‘unresponsive’ inside his cell.
According to the sheriff’s office, Terry B. Carter, 34, died on the way to University Medical Center after he was found not breathing in his jail cell.
“When the deputy called Carter’s name he didn’t respond, and the nurse noticed he was not breathing. The medical staff administered CPR and other life-saving measures while waiting for the EMS to arrive. Once EMS arrived, they continued to administer life-saving measures and Carter was routed to the hospital by EMS,” an OPSO report says.
Carter’s family was notified of his passing and the jail staff notified federal court monitors of the incident, the sheriff’s office says.
This is the latest incident in a series of deaths at the jail.
In May, a detainee at the OJC was found unresponsive in his cell. The man was discovered by deputies during a security check.
While the sheriff’s office waits for the coroner’s office to determine the official cause of death, it is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.
In recent weeks the sheriff’s office has dealt with a series of medical incidents and confiscated contraband at the jail.
According to OPSO weekly incident reports, from June 1 to June 14, there were five incidents of contraband confiscated from jail inmates.
Contraband is often described as either a weapon, a cell phone, or drugs.
During that same time, the incident report lists over 30 medical incidents at the jail.
While the cause of these medical incidents varies, most incidents required the detainee to be transported to University Medical Center. One incident required the jail medical staff to revive the man with an undisclosed treatment which cause the inmate to "wake up and become alert."
This comes on the heels of an OPSO deputy arrested for smuggling an opiate-derived drug into the jail.
Just last week, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s deputy recruit Elexis Gardner was arrested and fired for allegedly smuggling 17 packets of 12mg Suboxone Film into the jail.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, Suboxone is used to treat recovering heroin and opioid addiction but can be abused if not taken as prescribed.
Through the investigation, the sheriff’s office says the drug was discovered and allegedly linked to Gardner.
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