A jury has ruled that a Zion man died by drug overdose after staff found him unresponsive while he was being held in custody at the Lake County Jail in Waukegan.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Arthur Bankston II, 53, of Zion, was found unresponsive in his jail cell around 9:35 p.m. on December 31.
Bankston was remanded to the Lake County Jail on December 30 for a drug-related charge.
Covelli said the man had a number of health-related issues and was assigned to be monitored in the “1 East” cellblock of the jail.
Bankston was assigned a double-inmate cell but he did not have a cellmate.
The man was alert when he was seen by the jail’s medical care provider nurse for a prescription drug pass at 8:31 p.m. on December 31.
A prescription drug pass is when inmates are provided with their prescribed medications by medical professionals.
Covelli said that following the prescription drug pass, corrections officer rounds were conducted at least every 30 minutes.
A corrections officer saw Bankston unresponsive in his cell at 9:34 p.m.
The corrections officer called a medical emergency on his portable radio and medical staff responded to attempt lifesaving efforts, Covelli said.
The Waukegan Fire Department was also called to the scene. A lengthy attempt to save the man’s life ensued.
Paramedics contacted the hospital and a doctor pronounced Bankston dead.
The inmate previously reported he had terminal underlying health conditions, Covelli said.
Covelli said there did not appear to be any suspicious marks or injuries on the inmate’s body.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force to conduct an independent investigation in accordance with protocol.
The task force completed its investigation into the matter and the coroner’s office held a jury inquest earlier this week.
The jury ruled Bankston’s manner of death an accident and his cause of death to be fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity.
Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner in an updated statement on Saturday that no evidence was found to suggest Bankston consumed drugs while in custody but it cannot be ruled out that the man hid drugs on his person while being admitted.
Inmates who come into the jail undergo a full screening of their property, clothing and body, which requires them to remove all of their clothing to be searched.
“We have found on numerous occasions that inmates have attempted to conceal drugs during their admission, by inserting them into their [private areas],” Covelli said. “We cannot say for sure if this was something Mr. Bankston did, as we did not find any evidence he used or possesses drugs while in our custody.”
The jail is in the process of acquiring a full body screening system that will help corrections officers identify if a detainee has smuggled something inside their body while entering the jail.
“Mr. Bankston had several serious health ailments, and he was struggling with drug addiction. Mr. Bankston told nursing staff, upon his entry into the jail, that he recently consumed fentanyl and he was known to use methamphetamine,” Covelli said.
Bankston did not require hospitalization after being admitted to the jail and was routinely checked by nursing staff and correctional officers, Covelli added.