Man arrested for debt used poison to kill himself in jail

OGDEN, Utah (AP) - The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office says an unemployed man who was jailed for an unpaid ambulance bill killed himself hours after his arrest by poisoning himself behind bars.

Sheriff Dale Ward announced Wednesday that investigators determined 45-year-old Rex Iverson of Bear River City died in a jail holding cell on Jan. 23 by taking strychnine contained in gel capsules.

Ward says the capsules were so small that they were not found during pat-down searches after Iverson was arrested. Iverson was found unresponsive several hours later.

The sheriff says it appears Iverson pre-planned the situation and told friends that he would poison himself to avoid jail if he were ever arrested.

The Standard-Examiner of Ogden reports (https://bit.ly/2g1VvDi ) outside law enforcement agencies investigated and found the sheriff’s office followed proper protocol with the man’s arrest and jailing.

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Information from: Standard-Examiner, https://www.standard.net