VAN BUREN -- The Crawford County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a county jail inmate died over the weekend.
Sheriff Jimmy Damante said Monday that Jacob Allen Jones, 26, of Van Buren had a medical emergency at the jail on Saturday, although he couldn't provide specifics on the nature of the emergency or at what time it took place. A deputy went to check on Jones after he didn't come up to get his tray during a scheduled feeding time.
"His uncle was also in there and told the deputy that something's going on with him, so they went in immediately, started CPR," Damante said.
Damante said Jones reportedly had a slight heartbeat when he was loaded into an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Jones had been booked into the jail Friday afternoon on two counts of failure to appear and one count of obstructing governmental operations, according to the Sheriff's Office's online inmate roster. He was being held on a bond totaling $50,240.
Damante said Jones' body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for examination, including an autopsy. He said he didn't believe Arkansas State Police would investigate Jones' death, with the Sheriff's Office conducting a "complete investigation" since Saturday.
Bill Sadler, Arkansas State Police spokesman, said the agency would only investigate such an inmate death upon the request of a local jurisdiction or prosecuting attorney.