“A correction officer and an RN have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation into this matter,” she said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the death, which is an active and open investigation, said Sgt. Tyler Ross of the patrol’s public affairs unit.
Allen’s cause of death is under investigation and may take some time to determine, said Warren County Coroner Dr. Russell Uptegrove.
Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction
Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction
Before his death, Allen and another inmate reportedly were involved in an altercation, soon after which Allen became unresponsive. An autopsy performed at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office found mild injuries, such as contusions and abrasions, he said.
“Preliminary information is that there was not sufficient identifiable trauma at the time of the autopsy to come up with a reasonable cause of death at that point,” said Uptegrove, who added that Allen was relatively healthy without any significant medical conditions or illness.
“In this particular case because of the lack of the physical findings … we’re waiting for the toxicology results to make some sort of determination," he said. “There is a significant possibility this is drug-related.”
One issue is that jails and prisons across the country, including the Lebanon Correctional and Warren Correctional institutions in Warren County, have been seeing deaths linked to synthetic cannabinoids, called “tune,” Uptegrove said.
Cocaine, methamphetamine, and these synthetic drugs can lead to a fatal cardiac arrhythmia, which would not be seen at autopsy.
Routine coroner’s laboratory testing does not have the ability to identify most of these synthetic substances. In such cases, following initial testing the samples must be sent to a costly reference lab, which is a specialized lab with advanced technology that performs complex, unusual tests.
Allen, who had been incarcerated since late December, was serving a one-and-a-half-year sentence for felony convictions in Lucas County for aggravated assault and attempted discharge of a firearm at a habitation or school. His expected release/parole eligibility date was Jan. 6, according to the ODRC website.
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