An inmate at the Alexander County Detention Center has died while awaiting transfer to state prison, according to the local sheriff's office. The man, identified as Herman Eugene Williams, 41, of Hiddenite, passed away on August 31. As reported by QC News, Williams had been sentenced to prison earlier in the month, but details regarding the cause of his death were not initially provided by officials.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been called to thoroughly investigate the incident. It is standard procedure to beckon such an inquiry following an inmate death, as WCNC reports. Williams's death marks the second inmate fatality in the region on that day, with another 62-year-old man being discovered unresponsive during routine checks at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.
Additional details about the circumstances of Williams's death have not been made publicly available as of yet. The sheriff's office did not immediately release information on how Williams died or the conditions that may have led up to his death.
This incident has shed light once more on the conditions within detention facilities and how they might possibly be impacting those awaiting transfer to state custody. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office has released no further comments regarding Williams's case or the ongoing investigation, which WSOCTV notes, leaving many questions open as to the nature and cause of Williams's untimely demise.
