County ruled at no fault

A Jay County Jail inmate’s death has been ruled as no fault of the county.

Results from several toxicology tests following the November death of Kevin T. Whitted, then an occupant at the jail, indicated his death resulted from hypertensive cardiovascular disease and chronic substance use.

Jay County coroner Michael Brewster confirmed the test results arrived Wednesday, just over two months after Whitted’s death.

According to a press release from Indiana State Police, he was being held alone in a padded cell at Jay County Jail and monitored via surveillance video. Jail staff noticed him fall forward about 7:22 a.m. Nov. 20 and they called Jay Emergency Medical Service and performed CPR on him.

Whitted was transported to IU Health Jay, where he was later pronounced dead. At the time, Indiana State Police said in the press release that Whitted’s death had been suspected to be the result of a medical condition related to drug addiction withdrawal symptoms. According to Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton, Whitted had been getting treatment for his symptoms. Newton called Indiana State Police to investigate the case.

An autopsy was conducted Nov. 21. Several tests were conducted in the last few months and shipped to National Medical Services (NMS) Labs. (On average, results are typically received between four and six weeks.)

Whitted’s criminal history includes several charges related to drug possession, specifically narcotic drugs, and driving offenses. Last year, he pleaded guilty to possession of a narcotic drug, a Level 6 felony, in Jay Circuit Court, and was sentenced to 16 months in Indiana Department of Correction. He was being held at the jail until he could be transported to prison to serve his sentence.