UPDATE: Clarkton man died in ‘apparent’ jail suicide

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

UPDATE/April 19

     A Clarkton man has been identified as the Columbus County Detention Center inmate who apparently killed himself in custody last week, Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said Monday.

     Andrew James Ellis, 37, of Mercer Mill Road, Clarkton was arrested on April 16, three days before detention staff found him “unconscious and unresponsive” in the jail, Hatcher said in a news release.

     An autopsy to determine the cause of death is not yet complete.

     Ellis was charged with possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver schedule 2 and four controlled substances and marijuana, manufacturing marijuana and maintaining a place for a controlled substance, the news release said.

     Look for updates here as events warrant, and the complete report in next week’s Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.

April 19

     An apparent inmate suicide at the Columbus County Detention Center is under investigation by the Sheriff’s office and State Bureau of Investigation.

     Detention Center staff found the inmage “unconscious and unresponsive” at about 6:30 this morning, Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said in a news release.

     Detention Center staff performed CPR unitl a Paramedic crew from Whiteville Rescue Unit arrived, continued efforts to revive the inmate, and transported him to Columbus Regional Healthcare, where he was pronounced dead.

     The inmate’s name is being withheld pending family notification, the news release said.

     Look for updates here as events warrant, and the complete report in next week’s Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.