Federal inmate from Durham dies after fight at Orange County jail
A 35-year-old federal inmate has died after a fight in his cell at the Orange County Detention Center.
Maurice Antoine King of Durham got into an argument late Wednesday with several other inmates at the Hillsborough jail, and the disagreement escalated with at least one of them, said Alicia Stemper, spokeswoman for the Orange County sheriff.
King was taken to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, where he died. The cause of his death is being investigated, Stemper said.
In February, King pleaded guilty to three counts of federal drug trafficking charges involving cocaine hydrochloride. But further hearings had been scheduled.
In 2017, Durham police charged King with 81 felony drug-related counts and confiscated 258 grams, or more than a half-pound, of cocaine from his home, The News & Observer reported. His arrest followed what police described as a long investigation, and King had previous convictions on drug, firearms and indecent liberties with a child charges.
In 2018, 44 inmates died behind bars in North Carolina jails — the highest number since the state began tracking deaths in 1997.
Federal prisoner contract
Orange County has an agreement to house federal prisoners such as King for $93 a day. They do not always serve time there and are sometimes awaiting trial instead, Stemper said. Of the jail’s 108 inmates Thursday, 28 are federal.
The jail’s cooperation with U.S. marshals puts millions of dollars into the county’s general fund each year, but in past years it has raised concerns about overcrowding, the N&O has reported. A new northern campus jail is planned off U.S. 70.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 8:57 AM.