Inmate dies at Santa Barbara County Jail in apparent suicide

A 45-year-old Goleta man reportedly killed himself Thursday night shortly after being booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, officials said.

Deputies with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a family disturbance about 5 p.m. Thursday and arrested Alexander Ricardo Braid on suspicion of elder abuse and disrupting a wireless communication device.

About two hours later, Braid was booked into County Jail and screened by medical staff, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.

Braid was allegedly uncooperative with jail staff and placed in a cell by himself, the release said.

"A short time later, he was discovered unresponsive in his cell from an apparent suicide attempt," spokesman Kelly Hoover said in the release. "Custody staff and jail medical staff immediately began lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived and took over."

Braid was pronounced dead just after 8 p.m. His next of kin has been notified.

Officials said the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Coroner's Office is conducting a death investigation to determine an official cause and manner of death.

A final determination is pending toxicology and lab results, according to the release.

In March, a 60-year-old Santa Barbara County Jail inmate with "chronic medical issues" died after being admitted to a local hospital. He had been found unresponsive in his single-person cell the day before, officials said.

In San Luis Obispo County, 12 people have died in custody since 2012, including the high-profile death of Atascadero resident Andrew Holland in January 2017.

Some of the inmates died from pre-existing medical conditions, some from drug overdoses, two died in a hospital after becoming ill, and one committed suicide, according to the Coroner's Office.