Inmate Dies At Cherokee County Jail

CANTON, GA -- An inmate at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center died after he was found unresponsive in his jail cell early Friday morning. John Gordon Boatwright, 34, of Woodstock was discovered by deputies around 2:12 a.m. Nov. 17 "in a seated position with a ligature around his neck," said Cherokee Sheriff's Office Sgt. Marianne Kelley.

Deputies and medical staff performed lifesaving efforts before Boatwright was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Sgt. Kelley said Boatwright had been in custody since March when he was arrested on aggravated sexual batter, three counts of child molestation, sexual battery, enticing a child for indecent purposes, three counts of interference with custody and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

No other inmates were in his cell at the time of the incident, Sgt. Kelley added. Boatwright’s body will be taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy. As in any in-custody death, the G.B.I. will be investigating the incident.

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Photo: John Gordon Boatwright. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office