Lancaster man, 46, DUI inmate at Chester County jail, dies in custody

State police in South Carolina are investigating after an inmate at Chester County jail who was brought into the jail for an alleged DUI died Monday morning, deputies said.

The male inmate was identified in a police report as Charles Thomas Minors, 46, of Lancaster. The Chester County Sheriff’s Office operates the jail. Police did not indicate any foul play in the death, but have not released any details.

The county jail currently houses 96 inmates, the sheriff’s office Web site shows.

Minors had been brought into the Chester County Detention Center on Sunday afternoon on a DUI charge made by S.C. Highway Patrol troopers, said Robert Sprouse, chief deputy for the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. The report shows that Minors was placed into the jail around 5:40 p.m.

The incident report states Minors was too “intoxicated to be booked in” and was put into a cell to “sober up,” the report shows.

Several hours later, around 11:40 p.m., officers noticed Minors was not breathing and unresponsive, the incident report shows. An officer on scene attempted to revive Minors before Chester County EMS arrived and took over medical attention that was unsuccessful in reviving Minors.

The Chester County Coroner’s Office responded. Chester police listed the incident as over around around 2 a.m. Monday. The State Law Enforcement Division has been called in to investigate, Sprouse said.

SLED sent crime scene technicians and regional agents to the Chester County jail but have not yet issued any findings, said Thom Berry, spokesman for SLED. The SLED investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Lancaster man, 46, DUI inmate at Chester County jail, dies in custody."