No criminal charges in death of Jennings County inmate in May

By Gregg Montgomery

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    NORTH VERNON, Indiana (WISH) — The county prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed after a woman died in May in the Jennings County jail, according to a document the Indiana State Police shared Tuesday.

Jail officers found Sandra Ray, 35, of North Vernon, unresponsive in her cell on the morning of May 26.

Ray was being held at the jail after being arrested on the night of May 24 for operating while intoxicated, according to state police. She was in a cell by herself and was the only person in the cell at the time.

According to the document released Tuesday, Ray when apprehended had an initial blood-alcohol count of 0.267, which is more than three times the 0.08 threshold for being considered as drunk in Indiana.

The prosecutor and state police met to review the findings from an investigation. An autopsy showed Ray died from complications of chronic alcoholism and withdrawal.

Prosecutor Brian J. Belding said in the findings of the document, “The office of the Jennings County Prosecuting Attorney finds that no crimes were committed by employees and/or other inmates of the Jennings County Jail related to the death of Ray and that no criminal charges are warranted.”

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