Drugs killed NLR inmate, sheriff says

— A North Little Rock man who began having seizures at the Pulaski County jail in February and later died at a local hospital died of an accidental drug overdose, a sheriff’s office spokesman said on Wednesday.

Michael Hammond, 40, of 3409 W. Sycamore Drive was arrested by University of Arkansas at Little Rock police Feb. 3 on charges of fleeing and driving while intoxicated. He arrived at the jail around 11 p.m. and began having seizures in his holding cell a few hours later, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Carl Minden said in February.

Hammond was taken to UAMS Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

On Wednesday, Minden said the state medical examiner had found cocaine in Hammond’s system and determined he had died of an accidental overdose.

Minden said Hammond’s death has not affected policies at the jail. He said inmates are treated on arrival at the jail if they show signs of illness, and are sometimes not admitted until they have been medically cleared.

Minden said Hammond ingested the cocaine before arriving at the jail and that deputies could not have been aware of that fact until he began showing signs of illness.

Arkansas, Pages 18 on 05/24/2012

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