Merced County jail inmate dies in custody

A 29-year-old inmate at the Merced County Jail died Wednesday night while exercising, but investigators say the death is not believed to be suspicious.

Luis Patino was working out around 8:30 p.m. when “he had some kind of medical episode,” said Deputy Daryl Allen, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Allen said Patino was rushed to a Mercy Medical Center but died at the hospital a short time later.

The cause of Patino’s death was not immediately clear Thursday, but Allen said it was related to a medical condition and not connected to any violence.

“It’s not a suspicious death,” Allen told the Sun-Star. “It was all caught on (surveillance) video.”

According to jail and court records, Patino had been in custody since April awaiting trial on assault and gang charges. He was arrested again in June in connection with an assault on another inmate.

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Merced County jail inmate dies in custody."