A suspect died in the custody of the Surry County Sheriff’s Office after a bizarre incident that occurred in Elkin on Wednesday, May 10. However, authorities did not reveal the incident, and death, until today, nearly a week later.
Quintonio Jacquezze Willis, 34, of Garner, died at Hugh Chatham Memorial after he was subdued during an investigation. The cause of death has yet to be announced but ingesting illegal narcotics may have played a part in it, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
According to a statement from Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt, his department executed a search warrant in Elkin at 258 West Highland Ave. that day. The sheriff’s department was assisted by Elkin Police Department, Pilot Mountain Police Department, and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
According to the sheriff, Willis entered the crime scene on the early morning hours of May 11, after law enforcement had executed the search warrant and the scene had supposedly been secured. He “walked into the secured crime scene on West Highland Avenue. When he was confronted by law enforcement, Willis appeared to eat and/or swallow a substance believed to be an illegal narcotic.”
Law enforcement used a taser to subdue Willis and were able to recover an amount of narcotics that Wills’ swallowed. Surry County EMS were called to the scene and Willis refused medical treatment.
Twenty-three minutes later, according to the press release, Willis entered some form of medical distress that was noticed by law enforcement on scene. They again sent for EMS and he was transported to Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital where he later died.
According to Hiatt, it is protocol when a suspect dies in custody to involve the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The Surry County Sheriff’s Office has already reached out to the SBI, which has opened its investigation.
“This incident is tragic, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the Mr. Willis’ family,” said Hiatt. The statement did not say whether any charges had been placed against Willis prior to his death. The sheriff referred additional questions to the SBI. That agency, as a general practice, will not comment on active investigations.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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