An inmate from Arkansas died of an apparent suicide at a local jail.
Philip Alan Cole, 44, of Chidester, Ark., was found by detention staffers at 6:56 p.m. Tuesday after apparently hanging himself at the Sumter County Detention Center in Bushnell. Emergency medical services were called and life-saving efforts were made by detention staff, the detention medical provider and Sumter County Fire Rescue. Cole was pronounced dead at the jail.
An investigation is being conducted by the 5th District Medical Examiner’s Office and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Preliminary findings indicate Cole committed the act shortly after a scheduled cell check. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been notified of the death and investigation.
Cole had been booked at the jail on May 10 on a charge of possession of drug equipment.
