Inmate overdoses lead to arrest in Bartholomew jail

A prisoner in the Bartholomew County Jail is facing new charges after several inmates became ill from drug overdoses in the facility.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the incidents started Monday afternoon after jail staff noticed two inmates in medical distress. The staff began emergency medical procedures and both inmates were found to have overdosed. They were taken to Columbus Regional Health for treatment and later returned to the jail.

Nursing staff began to check on every inmate in the cell block and soon found two more inmates who showed signs of being impaired. They were also taken to the hospital.

The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and the corrections department staff began an investigation and after working through the night detectives identified a suspect. During an interview, 27 year old Dai Von Coram of Columbus confessed, police say.

Von Coram is facing new felony charges of dealing in a narcotic drug, trafficking with an inmate and obstruction of justice.

Sheriff Chris Lane said that the safety of the inmates and their well being is the top priority in the jail. He praised the jail staff for their quick actions and using their training, following policies and procedures to respond to the incident.

Lane also said that information could not be released earlier because of the ongoing investigation,