Jail death investigation continues

The investigation into the death of a McHenry County Jail inmate, Tommy O'Dell, is apparently continuing. O'Dell died April 26, 2011, while in custody, after being escorted from Judge Feetterer's courtroom, where he had appeared on a charge, following his appearance in a different courtroom earlier that day on a traffic charge. There was a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody while he was in the courthouse.

Based on the recent in-custody death of Thomas Puchmelter, a death investigation in the Jail might take about four days. Freedom of Information requests to the Sheriff's Department have so far not resulted in the report on O'Dell's death. An autopsy was conducted, and toxicology reports were requested. An inquest will eventually be held by the Coroner's office.

The Department may be investigating whether O'Dell was left unattended in a cell in the booking area and, if so, for how long and in what health condition he was at the time.