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FARMINGTON — A 36-year-old Davis County Jail inmate died on Tuesday after being found unresponsive in his jail cell, authorities say.
Matthew David Lach was arrested Sunday on investigation of domestic violence, intoxication and warrants, according to a Davis County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Lach was assessed and medically cleared at a local hospital before going to the Davis County Correctional Facility where he received another full medical assessment.
Because of his intoxication levels and COVID-19 prevention measures, Lach was put in a cell in a quarantined unit, officials said.
Deputies checked on Lach every 30 minutes, per jail policy; due to his blood-alcohol content level, he received extra medical assessments by a registered nurse. Additionally, he had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the morning.
While doing rounds early Tuesday morning, officials found Lach unresponsive in his cell.
Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics in the facility performed life-saving measures on Lach that were ultimately unsuccessful in resuscitating him.
Lach’s death is under investigation by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, as well as by an outside police agency and the state medical examiner’s office, Davis County Sheriff Kelly Sparks said in the news release.
“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the deceased,” Sparks said in the release. “Public trust and accountability are priorities to our Office, and the death of someone in our care and custody is never something we take lightly.”
The death will be “thoroughly reviewed from the time the individual was arrested through all interactions at the jail,” officials continued in the release.
The Jail Life Safety Committee — made up of several community members — and jail correctional staff will conduct the reviews.
“If needed, procedural changes will be made,” the news release reads.
