Authorities are investigating the death of a 42-year-old Devils Lake man, who was found dead early Saturday morning in a jail cell at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center jail in Devils Lake.
The victim has been identified as John W. Wilkie Jr.
An autopsy has been performed to determine the cause of death. However, results are not yet available, according to Detective Sue Schwab, with the Devils Lake Police Department.
Wilkie was found unresponsive in his cell during a cell check by correctional officers, according to Schwab.
He had been booked into the jail at about 12:29 a.m. Saturday for detox, she said.
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“We don’t have any indications of foul play,” she said.
The death is the latest in a series of incidents at the Devils Lake jail over the past year.
On March 13, a convicted felon escaped, allegedly with the assistance of a correctional officer.
The felon, 35-year-old Wesley E. Brown III, and the jailer, Rachel Marie Chepulis, 26, were captured in Oregon April 1, 19 days after the escape.
They since have been returned to North Dakota, where they face federal charges June 23 in U.S. District Court in Fargo.
Last July, another jailer, Jonathan Dafoe, pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to Class B Misdemeanor sexual assault in connection with a July 3, 2014 incident involving a female inmate.
Both jailers were fired after the incidents.
