There’s been another death at the Mecklenburg County jail in uptown. The sheriff’s office says 33-year-old Derrick Geter died Thursday morning.
Geter was housed in the infirmary when medical emergency crews were called in at around 10:11a.m. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m.
The sheriff's office said in a release that the State Bureau of Investigation will investigate Geter's death as the medical examiner determines the cause.
Geter had been at the jail since January of 2021.
This is the 6th death reported at the jail since May 2021.
“It is always difficult to experience the loss of a resident in our custody and care," Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to Mr. Geter’s mother and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The sheriff's office has been struggling with staff vacancies. A state inspector's report from December 2021 found the jail had "significant safety concerns around staffing shortages" and linked that to violence.
McFadden said at a news conference in February that he was trying to reduce the jail's population, and he had contacted every other sheriff's office in the state but found few had room in their own jails to take extra inmates.
McFadden said he was also trying to hire more staff, but had so far found few interested, qualified candidates.
