Sheriff IDs inmate found dead in Bent County jail

An inmate found dead in an apparent suicide at the Bent County jail has been identified as a Colorado Springs man.

Sheriff David Encinias identified the inmate as 33-year-old Dereck J. Mead. Authorities say his body was found Friday after a routine check.

Mead had been taken to Bent County from Otero County on Thursday. Encinias tells our news partners at The Pueblo Chieftain Mead was placed in a segregation unit in Bent County because he was having issues with several other inmates. He says the plan had been to put Mead in a different housing unit the following morning.

The circumstances leading to his death are under investigation.

Encinias says Mead was facing robbery charges.