Local man dies in county jail

By Glenda Atkinson,

Staff Reporter

A local man was found dead in the Lewis County Jail after being arrested by Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer Steve Karpati earlier the same day.

Trooper Karpati was dispatched to an accident on Highway 20 near the Natchez Trace on Saturday, June 5, 2010. He noticed the driver of the vehicle, Wayne Knox, age 58, was very unsteady and his speech was slurred. Knox stated he had taken prescription medications, Xanax and muscle relaxers. Knox’s field sobriety tasks indicated he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, according to Trooper Karparti.

Knox was then transported by the highway patrolman to Lewis Health Center where blood alcohol tests were preformed. He was charged with driving under the influence and taken to Lewis County Jail for booking before noon.

Knox’s family and wife, Sandra Mash Knox, had contacted Sheriff Dwayne Kilpatrick at approximately 5:37 p.m. to post bond for him, Sheriff Kilpatrick said in an interview Tuesday. Sheriff Kilpatrick approved bond and told the family the inmate could leave when he became coherent.

The inmate was monitored on 15 minute intervals, Sheriff Kilpatrik said.  Just after an 8 p.m. check, when Knox was noted as snoring in his sleep, at approximately 8:11, Correctional Officer Vic Cannons realized Knox had stopped snoring. Officer Cannons opened the holding cage door and found he was not breathing. “I shook him, called his name with no response, and tried to get a pulse as well but felt nothing,” Officer Cannons stated.

EMS personnel Tim Horan and Melissa Havland arrived within four minutes and began working on Knox. They received no response.

He was pronounced dead by Lewis County Coroner Richard Tate.  An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death, the sheriff said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s office are investigating the death.