Autopsy planned in inmate’s death

An autopsy was planned today in the unexplained death Sunday night of a Spokane County Jail inmate who had been refusing food and medicine.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said Gerard C. Leake, 52, was found dead in his cell about 10:30 p.m. Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit were investigating, but there was no obvious cause of death, Reagan said.

Reagan, the sheriff’s spokesman, said Monday that Leake had twice been prescribed medicine by Spokane Mental Health, but he had refused to take the medicine or eat food “for the past several days.” Leake also refused to leave his cell Saturday for a shower or to spend time in the jail’s day room, according to Reagan.

Also on Saturday, Reagan said, Leake attempted to take keys from a corrections deputy. That resulted in Leake being put into a solitary cell and corrections deputies under order not to attempt to handcuff Leake alone.

Leake shouted “Get away” throughout the day Saturday, Reagan said.

He said Leake put his mattress on the floor of his cell about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and lay down on it. Officers saw him breathing and believed he was sleeping, Reagan said.

An officer making his rounds at 10:30 p.m. attempted unsuccessfully to wake Leake by yelling at him. That officer summoned other deputies – because of the order requiring more than one officer to handcuff Leake – and a group of deputies found Leake dead when they entered his cell, Reagan said.

Leake was serving a one-year sentence for first-degree driving with a suspended license as a habitual offender.

He also was being held on pending charges that included three more counts of first-degree driving with a suspended license and one count of obstructing a police investigation.