Detainee Died Of 'Natural Causes' At Lake County Jail: Inquest

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Lake County coroner's inquest ruled that an inmate at the Lake County Jail died of natural causes after he was found unresponsive on Sept. 19 and taken to a Waukegan hospital. The case that resulted in the demotion of two top officials at the jail and an internal investigation to two correctional officers for their response.

Edward Robinson III, 32, of Waukegan, was found on the floor of his cell shortly after 11 a.m. lying on the floor of his cell his urine before being taken to the hospital, the inquest jury was told at the Lake County Courthouse Thursday, the Lake County News-Sun reported.

Robinson had been held at the county jail for more than two months after a judge ruled he was not fit to stand trial. The Illinois Department of Human Services had been ordered to find a suitable placement for him to be transferred but had not. Robinson had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to his family and authorities.

Coroner's inquests may be held to determine the manner of death, and Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper has restarted the practice of holding them in extraordinary cases like police-involved shootings, according to the News-Sun. The results of earlier autopsy had already ruled Robinson's cause of death to be hypothermia he was taken to Vista East Hospital with a body temperature of 84 degrees.

Robinson was being held in the jail's high-security administrative segregation unit and had been separated from the rest of its population after banging chairs and stuffed items in toilets, according to former Sheriff Mark Curran. He said Robinson should not have been being held at the jail and "was not a dangerous or a psychopathic human being at all."

Sheriff John Idleburg, who criticized former Sheriff Mark Curran over his handling of Robinson's death ahead of November's election, has changed jail policy since taking office earlier this month. The office now allows for all corrections staff to call for an ambulance if they believe it necessary, regardless of whether or not employees of the jail's health care provider are present or agree, according to the Daily Herald.

A lawyer representing Robinson's mother said the inquest result was wrong. Attorney Larry Rogers told the News-Sun Robinson "did not die of natural causes, he died of negligence. He said correctional officers exhibited "gross neglect" when they left him lying for hours on the cement floor of his cell without medical assistance. The family awaits the results of a Lake County Major Crimes Task Force investigation, which could refer the case to the State's Attorney's Office.

Curran shook up his leadership team at the jail after Robinson's death, demoting Dave Wathen, who had been chief of the jail for 28 years, to deputy chief. Before losing his bid for a fourth term in office to Idleburg by 138 votes – a discovery recount in the race began Tuesday – Curran had said he planned to hold a national search for a new chief.

An internal sheriff's Office of Professional Standards investigation into the death has not been completed, and no criminal charges or civil lawsuits have been filed in connection with Robinson's death. The two officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation, which could lead to the their firing. The Lake County Sheriff's Office has previously denied a request for audio portions of body camera footage of the correctional officers response to the incident pending the result of the investigations. The sheriff's office released video from jail security cameras outside the cell at an Oct. 3 press conference.

Earlier:

• Video Shows Guards Fail To Help Dying Inmate
• Chiefs Demoted, Officers On Leave Over Lake County Jail Death