Inmate declared dead after attempts to revive him at Mecklenburg jail, sheriff says

Joe Marusak
·2 min read

A 41-year-old Mecklenburg County jail inmate was declared dead after attempts to revive him on Saturday, Sheriff Garry McFadden said.

John Devin Haley was found unconscious in his cell just before 11 a.m., according to to the sheriff. He is the second inmate to die after being found unresponsive at the jail in just over a week.

Jail medical staff performed CPR on Haley, but he was declared dead 15 minutes later, McFadden said.

“We are always saddened by the loss of one of our persons in custody,” McFadden said in a statement. “In-custody deaths are extremely difficult for our staff, and take an emotional toll on all those involved.

“We extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family and mourn with them during this difficult time,” the sheriff said.

No signs of foul play were found, and “all preliminary reports indicate suicide,” according to the sheriff’s statement.

The State Bureau of Investigation will investigate Haley’s death, while the Mecklenburg County medical examiner determines the cause, McFadden said.

Haley was an inmate in custody at the jail in uptown since April 3, officials said. Jail records show he was a federal inmate, but the records don’t list the charges against him.

A federal grand jury in 2018 indicted Haley on a charge related to the destruction of a National Park Service vehicle on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Watauga County, federal court records show.

Last month, a U.S. magistrate ordered Haley jailed pending trial, records show.

On May 14, 20-year-old Karon Golightly died at a hospital after first responders tried to revive him.

Golightly was the first death at the jail in 2021. Since 2008, 23 people have died while in custody there, including five in 2018 and three last year, according to Sheriff’s Office data.

Golightly was brought to the detention center on Oct. 31, 2019 and processed on state and federal charges related to a string of robberies at three Charlotte-area Target stores, the Observer previously reported.