SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County deputies say detention center officials "interrupted" the suicide attempt of a 35-year-old inmate early Saturday afternoon, performing life-saving measures before transporting him to a local hospital.
The inmate, Rondell Lee Peterson, was arrested Friday on human trafficking and child sexual assault charges. He had not been behind bars for 24 hours before officials say a deputy passed by the cell during routine checks and found him hanging.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said he was immediately taken to a local hospital, where doctors placed him in an medically-induced coma "until they can stabilize him."
"He is facing quite a bit of time in jail if he's found guilty," he said.
The incident comes three days after a new jail chief was appointed to support current staff, and a few weeks after a series of erroneous releases at the facility.
As of Saturday evening, it's unclear if Peterson will survive.