An inmate at Theo Lacy died this morning

SANTA ANA, Ca. (July 22, 2020) – At approximately 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange was pronounced deceased at a local hospital.

The 73-year-old inmate was transferred to the hospital on May 25, 2020 due to an illness.

The inmate was booked into custody by the Newport Beach Police Department on March 11, 2019 for murder and child molestation charges.

Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances and no signs of trauma to the decedent. The inmate was not exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19.

Per protocol, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review. No additional information will be released at this time.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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