Man who died in Durham County jail was 35 years old, Sheriff’s Office says

The Durham County Sheriff’s Office has identified a man who died at the Durham County Jail this month as 35-year-old Joseph Bernard Hunter.

Hunter was arrested April 15 on a charge of driving while impaired, according to the N.C. State Highway Patrol.

He was the second person to die in custody at the jail this year.

He had seen the magistrate, who set bail, and was being booked into the jail around 9:55 p.m. when he collapsed, according to a report from the Sheriff’s Office.

He died at the hospital at 11:57 p.m.

Hunter’s cause of death is still under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, according to the report.

2nd jail death in 2021

Hunter was the second person to die in custody at the Durham County Jail this year. Brittany Kittrell, 34, died in January, four days after she was arrested, The News & Observer reported.

Hunter’s death is the 12th at the downtown Durham jail since 2011. Four deaths were suicides, four deaths were connected to drug addiction and the rest were due to chronic illness, The N&O reported.

Durham County has spent more than $1 million on jail renovations to prevent suicide and added a 24-hour, mental health treatment program. The Sheriff’s Office has also increased drug treatment at the jail, The N&O previously reported.