Man dies in custody at DeKalb jail, third inmate death reported this year

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office reported that an inmate in their custody has died. He is the third inmate who has died since March.

According to the sheriff’s office, Charles Robert Smith experienced a medical emergency on Monday morning while in his jail cell.

The sheriff’s office’s on-site medical team went to provide emergency services to Smith, but he was pronounced dead when EMS personnel arrived.

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Smith was a resident of College Park and had been in custody at the DeKalb County Jail since December, the sheriff’s office said.

He was arrested on charges of possessing methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon or first offender.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards is still investigating Smith’s death. The county medical examiner has not released a cause of death for him.

Smith is at least the third DeKalb County inmate who has died in 2024.

Christon Collins, 27, died on March 15 at the hospital two days after he had a medical emergency in his jail cell.

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In April, 57-year-old Van Lebron Johnson died while in custody as well. Johnson also died in his cell, according to the sheriff’s office. He’d been in custody since January.

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