This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Uintah County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his jail cell just hours after a judge had ordered him held on bail.
Uintah County Jail staff and emergency medical personnel were unable to revive Robert Eloy Garcia Jr., 35, after he was found unconscious and alone in his cell just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday. He was rushed to Vernal's Ashley Regional Medical Center, but pronounced dead a short time later.
About seven hours earlier on Wednesday, Garcia had been ordered held on $1,500 bail for violating terms of an earlier jail release related to class A misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Court records show Garcia had previously served time in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault, weapons- and drug-related offenses.
In a statement, the sheriff's office declined to detail the cause or means of Garcia's death, noting the case still was under investigation.
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