Clearlake man found dead in jail cell

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, just before midnight on Saturday, an inmate at the Lake County Hill Road correctional facility was found unresponsive in his cell.

The inmate has been identified as Daniel King, 46, of Clearlake. Other inmates who were sharing the cell with King called for help when they noticed he was not responding to them. Deputies and medical staff responded to King’s cell and began CPR. Paramedics from the Lakeport Fire Department arrived and took over. Shortly after midnight, King was declared dead.

Law enforcement officials noted that King had been sentenced to four year in state prison in August for a violation of probation related to a domestic violence charge and was awaiting transfer. King had not been transferred to a state facility due to CDCR’s Covid-19 policy not accepting sentenced inmates at this time. He had recently received advanced care from a local medical provider for a medical issue. He was last seen by jail medical staff less than an hour before he was found unresponsive. King’s death was unexpected and he showed no signs of trauma. At this time there are no indications that COVID-19 was present or a factor in King’s death.

In accordance with established in-custody death protocol, detectives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit as well as investigators from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office responded to conduct the death investigation. The investigation is ongoing and the cause of death is pending an autopsy that will be performed later this week.