An Orange County inmate died during his hospital stay on Sunday, officials confirmed.
The O.C. Sheriff’s Department said the 72-year-old inmate was booked into the Theo Lacy Facility, a maximum security jail, on Mar. 9, 2019. The inmate’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Westminster Police arrested the 72-year-old for attempted murder, arson to an inhabited structure/dwelling, arson causing great bodily injury and aggravated arson with a prior.
Three years after his arrest, officials determined that the inmate needed to be transported to the hospital for further medical treatment on Sept. 9, 2022.
The inmate remained hospitalized until he was pronounced dead around 9:17 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2025.
“Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances,” said the sheriff’s department. “A final cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology.”
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review.
The sheriff’s department said no additional information was available as of Monday afternoon.
