Cause believed to be natural causes
Hopkins County jail staff found a 53-year-old inmate unresponsive in his cell around noon Monday.
The inmate was booked in May 19. He was being held on a $10,000 bond for a charge of possession of 1-4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance. He had reportedly been placed in a segregated cell due to being on medical watch with walk-by cell checks every 20 minutes.
He was reportedly covered with a blanket and presumed to be sleeping in his bunk. Jail staff became concerned when Hicks did not wake up as lunches were being distributed around noon Monday. When he didn’t respond, staff entered the cell and found he was cold to the touch with profound lividity.
Chief Deputy Tanner Crump said the man had a pacemaker in which the battery had recently died and the inmate had been consulting with his doctor to get a replacement.
An autopsy will be performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner to determine cause of death. No foul play is suspected.
“We hate anytime an inmate dies here at the jail, and we are praying for his family,” Crump told the News-Telegram.