Sutter jail inmate attempts suicide

A Sutter County jailer discovered an inmate hanging from a bedsheet in his cell on Wednesday evening, said Sheriff J. Paul Parker.

The man, whom Parker declined to identify, was found at 5:30 p.m., about a half hour after the evening meal check.

Parker said the man was upset about a ruling in Sutter County Superior Court, where he was facing charges of resisting arrest and threatening an officer.

The man thought he had received a more severe sentence than he had actually received, Parker said, adding the man had spent time in the county jail before.

"He's one who prefers to be housed by himself instead of with other inmates," Parker said, though he had no indication of the man having a mental health issue. The man was in a solitary cell when he was discovered, Parker said.

After the jailer found the man, jail officials began performing CPR. The man had regained a pulse when he was taken by ambulance to Rideout Memorial Hospital. Parker said he believed the man was still alive.

Since 2010, three Sutter County inmates died while either in custody or just after being taken into custody. In an April 2010 case, a man diagnosed as mentally ill hung himself from a jail bunk.

But Parker said each case had separate circumstances and shouldn't be considered part of a pattern.

"We do everything we can to prevent these kinds of things," he said. "Every one of these situations is unique and one of a kind."

Two federal lawsuits are pending in Sacramento following jail-related deaths.