Inmate at Benton County Jail dies
Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008
BENTONVILLE — A Benton County Jail inmate died Saturday night after being taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.
Ronnie Bollen, 60, was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson.
Ferguson said officials believe Bollen had a heart attack.
A Bentonville Fire Department ambulance was dispatched at 8: 31 p. m.
Bollen was pronounced dead at 11 p. m. by an emergency-room doctor, the sheriff said.
Capt. Mike Sydoriak, head of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s criminal investigation division, said jail deputies were handing out mattresses and bedrolls when they were notified by an inmate that Bollen was having some problems.
Sydoriak said EMS was summoned and arrived minutes later and took Bollen to the hospital.
Bollen’s body was sent to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory for an autopsy. Sydoriak said the BCSO had not received preliminary results of the autopsy.
Bollen was booked into the jail July 1 after being arrested by Rogers police for theft by receiving, Jail Capt. Hunter Petray said.
Bollen was being held in jail in lieu of $ 2, 500 bond, Sydoriak said.
Petray said foul play is not suspected in Bollen’s death, but BCSO investigators are handling a standard investigation into his death.
Sydoriak also does not suspect any foul play and said the investigation simply concerns whether anything occurred with other inmates that may have caused problems with Bollen.
Sydoriak said Bollen claimed to be homeless, and he was under the care of doctors at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville. Bollen had a heart condition and was required to take medication daily, Sydoriak said.
Sydoriak said Bollen was receiving his medication each day, and he had also been seen by the jail doctor.
Benton County Prosecutor Van Stone said he was aware of Bollen’s death, and the Sheriff’s Office is following protocol with its investigation, and if needed, the Prosecutor’s Office will assist with the investigation.
Two years ago, an inmate, Felemon Perez Ybardo, died at the Benton County Courthouse. Emergency personnel took Ybardo, 59, to the hospital after being summoned to aid an ill inmate.
Ybardo was later pronounced dead at Northwest Medical Center. An autopsy found that the cause of Ybardo’s death was hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
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