FORT SMITH — An inmate in the Sebastian County Jail was found dead after hanging himself with a bed sheet.
The sheriff's department says 35-year-old Chamar West of Fort Smith was being held on a rape charge. The agency said Wednesday that Arkansas State Police are investigating.
Officials say West was held in a cell by himself to keep him apart from the jail's general population.
Investigators say a note was found in West's cell in which he indicated remorse for his crimes. He also asked his family to forgive him.
Jail officials are also conducting an internal investigation.