Suspect dies in custody; he’s the second in six days

A man died in police custody Sunday after he was arrested when he scuffled with firefighters and police, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

Joseph Lawson, 43, was the second person to die in the past week while in police custody. Both were hospitalized at the time they died, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Lawson was arrested late Saturday after he called police to say that he was experiencing hallucinations. Officers went to a Losco Road apartment, where he told them he had snorted an unknown medication, police said.

The man scuffled with a paramedic and an officer, then was hospitalized for treatment of his initial medical issues, police say. He was charged with two counts of battery on a police officer or firefighter, as well as resisting arrest. His condition deteriorated and he died about 11 p.m. Sunday, police said.

The cause of Lawson’s death is currently listed as undetermined because it remains under investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said.

On July 8, 66-year-old Scott Allan Stormes died while hospitalized after what the Sheriff’s Office calls several medical issues. Stormes was in jail awaiting trial on charges of possession of photographs of sexual performance by a child. His cause of death is undetermined, police said.

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