Inmate From Aguanga Chokes, Dies Inside Riverside County Jail: RSO

BANNING, CA — An Aguanga man accused of sexually assaulting a minor has died inside a Riverside County jail after an apparent choking incident.

On Sunday, deputies at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning were alerted that an inmate was choking on food inside his jail cell, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The inmate, Robert Wayne Shingleton, 48, was treated by jail staff but died at the scene, the sheriff's department reported.

The county coroner will determine Shingleton's manner and cause of death.

Court records show Shingleton was arrested in January and charged with oral copulation of a teen by force, and two counts of sexual battery, all felonies. He pleaded not guilty to all.

Shingleton had been under a doctor's care and was due in court next month, according to court records.

In 2018, Shingleton was convicted of inflicting corporal injury on his spouse. He was sentenced to jail time and probation, the records show.