Inmate dies at PCJ
GREENCASTLE -- An autopsy is set for 10 a.m. Monday in Terre Haute to determine the cause of death of an inmate at the Putnam County Jail.
Putnam County Chief Deputy Doug Nally said David E. Osborne, 31, apparently died sometime during the night on Saturday. When Osborne did not come out of his cell to get a breakfast tray just before 7 a.m., other inmates checked on Osborne and found he was cold to the touch.
"It looks as though he died in his sleep," Nally said. "We don't really know for sure what happened yet, but there are no signs of foul play."
Nally said he believed Osborne had some health issues, including high blood pressure.
"I do know he was taking prescription medication," Nally said.
Osborne, of Tonka Bay, Minn., was arrested in Cloverdale during a routine traffic stop on July 29, 2009. Nally said Osborne had not been involved in any incidents at the jail, and that "according to all the informtion we have, everything was fine when (Osborne) went to bed on Saturday."
Court documents said Putnam County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Robert Craig Sibbitt stopped the vehicle Osborne was driving on I-70 westbound on July 29, 2009 after witnessing Osborne make an unsafe lane change. Sibbitt also noted in his report that Osborne's vehicle had dark tinted windows and a broken windshield.
Sibbitt said when Osborne noticed Sibbitt was following him, Osborne slowed down to 60 mph in a 70 mph zone and changed lanes quickly, cutting off a tractor-trailer so its driver had to brake suddenly.
When SIbbitt stopped Osborne, Osborne could not produce any registration or proof of insurance for the vehicle he was driving. Court records said Osborne also told Sibbitt he was "pretty sure his licenses were suspended."
Sibbitt called for back-up, including a K-9 unit. About 5 ounces of crack cocaine was discovered in a white sock in a false compartment behind the radio in the vehicle Osborne was driving.
Osborne was charged with Class A felony dealing in cocaine and Class C felony possession of cocaine, narcotic drugs or methamphetamine. He had been at the Putnam County Jail ever since his arrest. His bond had been set at $50,000 cash only.
Osborne had a lengthy criminal history, court documents said, including a 1998 involuntary manslaughter conviction for which he served prison time.
Osborne's case was set to go to trial on June 16. His attorney was public defender Sidney Tongret.
In addition to the felony charges against him, the state also intended to seek a habitual offender designation for Osborne.
Nally said there was also a federal hold on Osborne through the U.S. Marshal's Office for a felony in possession of a firearm charge.