Jail Inmate Dies After Collapsing Man, 26, Had Complained Of Breathing Problems

A 26-year-old Kootenai County Jail inmate collapsed and died Wednesday morning after complaining of breathing problems.

State investigators are looking into the death of Randy L. Cox of Payette, Idaho, who was being held on charges of grand theft and attempting to elude police.

The news was a double shock to family members.

Dennis Cox said he hadn’t heard from his son for over a year and didn’t know he was in jail until authorities called Wednesday.

“We always thought he was a pretty healthy boy,” Dennis Cox said.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, Randy Cox told jail deputies he was having trouble breathing, according to a preliminary report from the Idaho Criminal Investigation Bureau.

He was then taken from his cell to the booking area of the jail to be kept in an observation cell.

But within minutes of his transfer, Cox collapsed, stopped breathing and had no pulse, according to the report.

Deputies tried CPR on Cox until emergency workers arrived and rushed the inmate to Kootenai Medical Center. Cox was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly before 1 a.m.

“We’re confident that his death was not the result of an injury sustained from another inmate or an officer,” said Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger. “We believe it to be a medical condition.”

Wolfinger said Cox was not being restrained at the time he died. He was unsure of any prior medical conditions but said Cox had previously been given an inhaler for some kind of breathing problem.

Wolfinger said the sheriff’s department asked the state to look into the matter in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

State investigators do not believe foul play was involved in the death, said Wayne Longo of the criminal investigation bureau.

Cox grew up in Payette, the second youngest of four boys. He liked to play the guitar and sing, and enjoyed working with electronics, his father said.

“He was kind of our rebel,” Cox said. “But he was always very respectful and loving to us.”

When Randy Cox moved away from home he kept in touch with his parents on their birthdays and holidays, Dennis Cox said.

But they lost contact with him after Thanksgiving 1994.

On May 5, 1995, Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies arrested Cox.

They spotted him driving a stolen van, according to court records. Officers from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department chased Cox on Seltice Way at speeds up to 100 mph.

When Cox tried turning onto Compton Street, he lost control of the van and struck a tow truck, according to a sheriff’s report. Two sheriff’s patrol cars then ran into Cox’s van.

Cox was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and then booked into the jail. It was unclear Wednesday whether he has any prior criminal record.

Since his May arrest, Cox spent most of his time in jail, leaving only for a mental evaluation.

Cox has a history of psychological problems and told a judge he could not understand the charges against him, according to Kootenai County court records. However, he was found competent to stand trial in March.

Dennis Cox said the family is waiting to hear an official explanation for the death. An autopsy is scheduled this morning.

“A 26-year-old boy shouldn’t be dying,” he said. “My wife just hadn’t seen him for so long. She didn’t get to give him a hug or say goodbye or anything.”

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