HAZELTON — A United States Penitentiary Hazelton inmate’s death is not coronavirus related, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said Wednesday.
According to a press release, at about 5 p.m. Monday inmate Isaiah Jumar Bethea was found unresponsive. Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures and requested emergency medical services. Life-saving efforts continued. The inmate was subsequently pronounced dead by EMS personnel.
Currently, there are no indicators that his death is COVID-19 related, the Bureau of Prisons said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified of the death. No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger, according to the release.
Bethea, 26, was sentenced in the Middle District of North Carolina to a 60-month sentence for racketeering, violence and interference with commerce by robbery. He had been in custody at USP Hazelton since Dec. 11, 2019.
USP Hazelton is a high- security facility in northern Preston County that currently houses 1,264 males.
