A Columbia County sex offender was found dead in his cell Thursday, and authorities say it appears he choked on a peanut butter sandwich.
The inmate was identified as Ronald Warren Pate, a 54-year-old homeless man suffering from dementia. He had been in the jail for a week after his arrest 0n a probation violation for not registering as a sex offender.
The mother of Pate’s 10-year-old daughter sent us this photo, showing Pate in a hospital bed at an Augusta hospital, where he was until his arrest last week. More details coming…
Because of his medical condition, Pate was being held isolated in a maximim-security cell. During a routine check of inmates, a guard found him unresponsive. A nurse was called and tried to clear out the food and resuscitate Pate, but she was unsuccessful, Coroner Vernon Collins said.
“He had copious amounts of peanut butter in his mouth and his airway was obstructed,” the coroner said. “She tried to clear it out but he had been in arrest for awhile. You only have six minutes to resuscitate someone. But you had complete airway obstruction and cardiac arrest. … He had been down at least 10 minutes.”
The GBI accepted the findings of the coroner and there will be no autopsy. The man’s sister was contacted and told of his death.
Oddly enough, the coroner said he has seen several people die from peanut butter ingestion. In one case, the person had gobbled a scoop of peanut butter. “It is sticky to the roof of your mouth and it just blocks your airway,” Collins said.
Pate, of Martinez, has been in trouble with Columbia County authorities several times for not properly registering. Details on his sex offense conviction were not available, but he has a previous address in Moultrie, Ga.
In 2012, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office sent out this picture of Pate, saying he was wanted for violation of sex offender law. “Subject is no longer living at his registered address and has not notified the sheriff’s office of a change of address,” the press release said.
Note: If you have a bette picture of Pate, please text it to 803-487-3224.
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