MINDEN - A 43-year-old Carson City man was found dead in Minden's jail early Monday morning.
Westley Andrew Odysseus was arrested 11 p.m. Sunday for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. He was placed in a holding cell where he was watched by deputies.
"At that time he was put into a holding cell with a deputy checking on him every half hour," Sheriff Ron Pierini said Monday.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies said Odysseus was sleeping at 5 a.m. At 5:30 a.m. deputies found that the man was not breathing.
"It is routine procedure, especially for someone in an intoxicated state," Pierini said.
Deputies began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Odysseus and called for medical help from East Fork Paramedics.
Paramedics could not revive Odysseus and he was pronounced dead at 6 a.m.
His body has been taken to the Washoe County Coroner's Office in Reno, where an autopsy will be performed.
"The deputies followed our procedures by checking him every 30 minutes," Pierini said. "He was in an intoxicated state and the jailers were making sure he was O.K."
He said Odysseus was arrested in north Douglas County after deputies received a tip from a resident.
Pierini stressed that Odysseus' arrest and custody were non-confrontational.
"This was a non-combative situation," he said. "In fact, my information is that he was cooperative. We didn't lay a hand on him."
The investigation at present is taking to directions, Pierini said. In addition to the probe into the cause of Odysseus' death, officials are also making sure proper procedure was followed.
We will follow up make sure all the reports are complete," he said.
"I'm very comfortable with our procedures right now," Pierini said. "Unfortunately even the best procedures can't prevent everything."
An inmate has not died in Douglas jails since the construction of the new facilities. The Minden Jail was built in 1982. The Lake Tahoe jail was built in 1984.
"This is the first death we've had in the new jails that I can remember," Pierini said.
Douglas County's Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office are conducting the investigation.
