Inmate dies in custody of Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
An inmate died in the custody of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
Albert Balderas was being held at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Pre-Trial Facility in Visalia.
Sheriff’s officials said correctional deputies found Balderas unresponsive in his cell around 7:49 a.m. Wednesday and immediately administered first aid and rushed him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Balderas was in custody and in a cell by himself since his arrest July 11, 2018, the sheriff’s office said.
“No obvious signs of trauma or foul play were observed,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release. “An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday March 12, 2019.”
Balderas was in custody on charges of lewd acts upon a child, false imprisonment and kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.
The case is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Unit, Detective Greg Burns or Sgt. Gary Marks at 559-802-9563 or 800-808-0488. Information can be reported anonymously via Tipnow at tcso@tipnow.net, text or voicemail at 559-725-4194, or through the Tipnow app for Android and Apple phones. The case number is 19-2745.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 4:42 PM.
