Jail staff exonerated in man's drug death

AKRON (AP) -- Jail staff caring for a man who died of a drug overdose a few hours after his arrest in October did nothing wrong, prosecutors say.
Schuyler DeJournett, 25, died less than eight hours after he was arrested by Akron police during a traffic stop of a car with expired plates. He was a passenger in the car.
Officers said they saw DeJournett chew and swallow a white substance that tested positive for cocaine. He was arrested on a charge of tampering with evidence and booked into the Summit County Jail about 1 a.m. Oct. 22.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said DeJournett admitted in a medical examination at 2:20 a.m. that he had swallowed crack cocaine and smoked marijuana, but he said he did not know how much. He was treated for a seizure and moved to a medical cell.
DeJournett had a more severe seizure after 6 a.m. and was taken to Akron General Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. The Summit County Medical Examiner's office ruled the death accidental.
"What's really tragic was that he was on the phone telling people how much he consumed, but was minimizing it to the deputies," said Mary Ann Kovach, chief counsel of the criminal division of the Summit County prosecutor's office. "And none of those people that he told came forward to tell the deputies."