Bel Air Inmate Dies At Harford Detention Center

BEL AIR, MD — A Bel Air man died Saturday morning at the Harford County Detention Center. Officials said he suffered a medical emergency in his cell.

James Allen Zornes, 54, was by himself in his cell when deputies found him unresponsive at 5:17 a.m. Medical staff at the detention center and available deputies were called to begin life-saving efforts, such as performing CPR and applying an automated external defibrillator, without success, authorities reported.

Although the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company arrived and continued working to save Zornes, officials said that he was pronounced deceased at 6:16 a.m.

Based on the preliminary investigation, authorities said Zornes suffered from multiple medical conditions and had been refusing to take his medication. There were no signs of foul play, according to officials.

Forensic investigators collected evidence at the detention center, and the body of Zornes was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy, the sheriff's office reported.

Zornes had been booked at the detention center April 2 for failing to register as a sex offender, according to authorities.

Court records show Zornes pleaded guilty in 2016 to distributing child pornography and was sentenced to two years in Jessup. Upon his release, he was to be on supervised probation for more than four years.

In April he was ordered to be held without bond for failing to register as a sex offender, and in May he was sentenced to a year in jail for that offense.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the death, which is standard procedure when an inmate dies, according to authorities.

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Pictured, James Zornes. Photo Credit: Maryland State Police.