Inmate at Pima County jail found dead

Just before 11 a.m., a corrections officer was performing rounds within the jail when they found Robert Tsalabounis, 38, unresponsive in his cell, a news release from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said. The officer rendered aid while waiting for medical staff and Tucson Fire personnel to arrive.

Despite life-saving efforts, Tsalabounis was pronounced dead. Detectives found no signs of trauma and no suspicious circumstances, the news release said.

At this time, the cause of death is unknown.

Tsalabounis was arrested in September in connection to four trespass warrants and another warrant for failing to appear in court, the sheriff’s department said.

Last month, another inmate, Hugh Gillespie Burford, 50, was found dead in his cell after he reportedly tied a pair of socks to a toilet seat and his neck, causing his own strangulation.

The jail has reported nine deaths this year, with at least five of the deaths ruled the result of fentanyl intoxication, according to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office.

Last year, the jail reported 10 deaths that marked a decade-high number of annual deaths at the facility.

Earlier this month Sheriff Chris Nanos told the county Board of Supervisors the jail is in “full-blown crisis.” He cited a growing inmate population, a decreasing number of corrections officers and deteriorating conditions at the facility.