An autopsy is pending on the death of a man who died in custody at a Santa Barbara County detention facility.
Deputies were conducting routine welfare checks on inmates at the Northern Branch unit in Santa Maria late Saturday when they noticed an unresponsive individual in a cell.
The deputies and medical staff tried to resuscitate 54-year-old Juan Lara but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lara, from Santa Maria, had been booked into detention on June 26 on drug-related charges. Medical personnel performed a routine examination of him during the booking process. His death is under investigation.
Earlier this month, a Santa Barbara County Grand Jury issued a report calling for the Sheriff’s Office to beef up medical care in the jail system. The county had already announced it was adding medical staff.
