Cobb inmate dies en route to hospital while experiencing heroin withdrawal

A man in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on drug possession charges died Wednesday morning after having a medical emergency while suffering from heroin withdrawals.

James Martin, 41, died just before 9:30 a.m. after a seizure. According to the official statement, when Martin was booked into the jail on charges of methamphetamine possession, he told deputies he was a heroin addict and had binged on the drug. 

The sheriff’s office said Martin was taken to the infirmary and placed under observation. On Wednesday morning, Martin told medical staff he did not feel well. He suffered a seizure shortly afterward. Medical staff performed first aid and administered Narcan, a medication to reverse opioid overdoses. 

While in an ambulance en route to the hospital, Martin was pronounced dead. The sheriff’s office asked the GBI to do an independent investigation. “Heroin, meth, fentanyl, and other opioids have tragically taken so many lives in Cobb County, causing irreparable harm to families,” Sheriff Craig Owens said.

Since taking office, Sheriff Craig Owens has increased transparency and resources for inmates by implementing new technologies such as medical monitoring wristbands to try and curb jail deaths.