The name of a man who died of an apparent drug overdose while in custody at the Northern Branch Jail has been released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Jaime Angel Gonzalez, 33, of Santa Maria, died Wednesday morning after being arrested on suspicion of a parole violation, then becoming unresponsive in an observation cell at the jail in Santa Maria, said sheriff’s public information officer Lt. Jarrett Morris.
Gonzalez was taken into custody after patrol deputies were sent to check the welfare of someone at a home in the 800 block of Redwood Avenue about 7:50 a.m.
Deputies allegedly found Gonzalez there in violation of his California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole terms, which resulted in his arrest.
Morris said after Gonzalez became unresponsive in the jail cell, custody deputies applied lifesaving procedures, including administering naloxone.
Naloxone is used to reverse opioid drug overdoses.
Wellpath medical personnel arrived and administered additional doses, and Gonzalez temporarily regained consciousness.
He was transported by ambulance to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Morris said.
Gonzalez was arrested Jan. 27, 2020, by Santa Maria police officers after he allegedly led them on a high-speed pursuit that ended when his car crashed into a SMOOTH transit bus at Union Valley Parkway and Orcutt Road.
He allegedly attempted to carjack another vehicle there before being taken into custody.
Gonzalez’s death is being investigated by detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Coroner’s Office, and Morris said additional information will be released once the investigation is completed.
