For the second time in two days, an inmate died Monday at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga after being found unresponsive in a jail cell, authorities said.
Alexis Ledinich, 45, of Fontana died at the jail on April 20, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which administers the facility.
He was discovered unconscious about 5:30 a.m., sheriff’s officials said.
“Deputies and jail medical staff immediately initiated lifesaving measures,” the agency said in a written statement. “Personnel from American Medical Response and the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department responded and continued resuscitation efforts. Despite these efforts, Ledinich was pronounced deceased.”
Investigators noted no obvious signs of trauma.
“His cause and manner of death will be determined after an autopsy,” according to the statement.
Ledinich was arrested by deputies from the Fontana Sheriff’s Station on June 19, according to county booking records.
San Bernardino County Superior Court records show he pleaded “no contest” in March to a charge of violating a domestic violence restraining order and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit given for 90 days already served in custody.
No further details were available.
26-year-old inmate dies previous day
Monday’s in-custody death mirrored another that took place at the same facility the previous day.
Mariel Rashad Mays, 26, was found unresponsive in a cell just before 5 a.m. Sunday, April 19, sheriff’s officials said.
Jail staff and deputies provided medical care until paramedics arrived and took over, but they were unable to resuscitate Mays.
No overt signs of trauma were noted on his body, and the results of an autopsy were pending, officials said.
His cause and manner of death will be determined through an autopsy, officials said.
Mays had been arrested on Tuesday, March 24, on suspicion of violating probation related to a previous conviction for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, according to jail and court records. He was transferred to the West Valley Detention Center on Tuesday, April 14.
He was being held without bail, with a probation revocation hearing scheduled for Friday, April 24.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Ryan Grissom of the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 890-4904. Tips may also be provided anonymously top the WeTip hotline at (844) 909-3096
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: West Valley Detention Center sees second inmate death in two days
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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