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Inmate in Pinellas County jail dies, cause of death unclear

Inmate in Pinellas County jail dies, cause of death unclear
Posted at 2:17 AM, Jan 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-29 02:17:21-05

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- An autopsy is being performed on 29-year-old St. Petersburg man who died in jail.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's office said Stephen Gregory James was found unresponsive in his sleeping area Sunday morning.

Medical staff responded and administered CPR, but was unsuccessful. They called paramedics, but James was pronounced dead at 7:55 a.m.

Officials say the cause of his death is unclear and that there were no signs of injury. They added that his death didn't follow confrontation or use of force.

Deputies arrested James on Jan. 18 on charges of possession of PVP, an ingredient in the synthetic drugs known as bath salts and flakka, a violation of his probation after other drug charges. He had an arraignment scheduled for Feb. 9.