Full Notification

At approximately 6:00 p.m. last night, April 12, 2019, a Santa Barbara County Jail inmate approached a Custody Deputy in a male dormitory housing area of the Main Jail telling him he was not feeling well. The inmate, 62-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez, appeared to be ill. The Custody Deputy immediately called for Jail Medical staff to respond to their location. Mr. Rodriguez who was in a wheelchair, was wheeled out to the hallway where his condition worsened and he became unresponsive. Deputies began CPR and called for paramedics. Jail Medical staff arrived with an AED and placed the pads on Mr. Rodriguez. Santa Barbara County Fire Department personnel arrived and took over CPR. Mr. Rodriguez did not respond to their lifesaving efforts and he was pronounced deceased at approximately 6:41 p.m.
While his death appears to be due to natural causes, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is conducting a death investigation to determine the official cause, manner, and circumstances of death. A final determination is pending an autopsy, toxicology, and lab results.

Rodriguez, a Santa Barbara transient, had been in custody since April 10, 2019. He was being held without bail for failing to register as a sex offender, a violation of his probation.