No foul play suspected

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 11, 2014

SALISBURY — An inmate who died Friday night at the Rowan County Detention Center apparently passed away of natural causes, according to law enforcement.
Timothy Lamonte Barber, 51, of Salisbury, was found unresponsive in his bunk at 10:49 p.m. Friday, according to a press release from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department.
Detention center staff called 911, and Rowan County EMS and Salisbury Fire Department personnel responded to the jail.
Attempts to resuscitate Barber, including use of a defibrillator and CPR, were unsuccessful.
According to the press release, Sheriff Kevin Auten responded to the jail, as did investigators from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division.
Investigators determined Barber was in his bunk at 10 p.m., the press release said.
No signs of assault, altercation or hanging were found.
“The State Medical Examiner’s Office has been notified and will conduct their own investigation,” the press release said.
Barber was reportedly being held in the Rowan County Detention Center on a state misdemeanor charge.
The Sheriff’s Department said Barber’s next of kin had been notified.