Inmate who died was mentally impaired, in good health

Third prisoner in 8 months dies at Prince George County jail

RICHMOND — An inmate who recently died at a Virginia regional jail was a mentally disabled man who was reported to be in good health before he was incarcerated.

The state medical examiner's office has not yet determined the cause of death for Michael Dillon, 29, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported this week. Officials have said Dillon went into distress while being examined by medical staff in late March at the Riverside Regional Jail.

“I've been calling the medical examiner every week to try and figure out what happened,” said Jennifer Perez, the owner of a residential treatment facility in Petersburg where Dillon was a resident.

Perez said Dillon was in good health when he left her company's services.

He was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and destruction of property after attacking one of the residential home's employees and destroying furniture during an outburst on March 20, the newspaper reported, citing court records.

The day before he died in custody, Public Defender Shaun Huband had filed a motion to have Dillon evaluated for competency to stand trial. He said Dillon couldn't get bond “as quickly as everyone would have liked.”

Dillon was the third prisoner to die in custody at the Prince George County facility in eight months.

Riverside was put on state probation last summer after the Virginia Board of Corrections found staff failings at the facility may have directly or indirectly contributed to the deaths of two inmates who killed themselves in 2017.