You would not know it by looking at the current list of inmates in Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels’ jail, but inmate Eric Scott Preman died July 6 shortly after being found unresponsive in his jail cell.
According to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, Preman died of natural causes due to extensive gastrointestinal hemorrhage related to an erosive duodenal ulcer. The official autopsy report released Aug. 24 also notes significant damage to Preman’s bowel wall.
But despite the fact Preman, 58, died seven weeks ago, his name still appears on the Aug. 24 list of inmates in custody of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Just as it has every day for the last 49 days.
The list purportedly reflects inmates in Sheriff Dannels’ custody due to arrest or court order. It includes CCSO inmates let out during the day for work release, those temporarily away for proceedings in non-Cochise County courts, and those housed at outside jails due to security concerns.
Public records show CCSO occasionally seeks court orders to release inmates from its jails when emergency medical care is needed. This usually happens with inmates experiencing serious health problems so county taxpayers don’t get billed for an inmate’s care. It also allows families more control over medical decisions.
It appears no such emergency release was requested on July 6 when Preman was found sitting on a jail toilet filled with “red material.” He was transported to Copper Queen Hospital where he died at 1:46 p.m.
On July 21, the criminal charges against Preman were formally dismissed by the Willcox Justice Court at the request of the Cochise County Attorney’s Office. With no criminal charges against Preman’s name, he would have been released from jail that same day – if he had been alive.
Yet his name continues to appear on the inmate list.
Preman, 58, was arrested by the Willcox Dept. of Public Safety on June 25 on charges involving numerous instances of disorderly conduct, false use of an emergency telephone service, criminal nuisance, and false reporting to law enforcement. Once booked in the county jail in Bisbee he was placed under a 14-day COVID-19 quarantine as are all newly booked inmates. A judge later ordered Preman to remain in jail pending trial unless he posted bail.
CCSO spokeswoman Carol Capas has told Arizona Daily Independent several times since Preman’s death that jail staff cannot simply remove Preman’s name from the inmate list even though they know he is dead. Some type of court order is necessary, Capas said, to cancel out the pretrial bail order issued after Preman’s arrest.
In-house medical care for CCSO inmates is provided by Cochise County’s Health Department. As such the sheriff’s office cannot release information on an inmate’s medical history or treatment, Capas said.
