Inmate found dead at Olmsted County jail, BCA investigating
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Deputies Monday morning say they discovered a man dead inside his southern Minnesota jail cell.
The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office says a deputy found 59-year-old Russell James Simon Jr. not breathing during routine well-being checks around 5 a.m.
Despite resuscitation efforts, Simon died on the scene. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
Simon was in custody on felony assault charges after he allegedly put a woman in a chokehold and threatened her with a knife.
In 2008, Simon was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison on two counts each of murder and assault in the second degree and being a convicted felony in possession of a weapon.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating Simon's death.