Marion County Jail inmate dies after six detention deputies had to ‘subdue’ him

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents are investigating a death at the Marion County Jail after detention deputies attempted to restrain an inmate.

At around 7 a.m. on Friday morning, several detention deputies say 46-year-old inmate Scott Whitley refused to cooperate with a routine cell inspection.

According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, deputies “deployed pepper foam and their electronic disabling devices to stun Whitley to gain his compliance, but were unsuccessful.”

Sheriff’s officials say a group of six detention deputies finally subdued him, and then noticed he had stopped breathing.

Deputies say they gave Whitley medical attention before he was taken to AdventHealth Ocala, where he was later pronounced dead.

The deputies involved in the incident are on paid leave. They are not being identified at this time. Sheriff’s officials say those deputies have invoked the protection of Marsy’s Law, which shields the personal information of crime victims.

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