Ceres man found dead in his jail cell; Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office investigating

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Public Safety Center earlier this month.

A deputy doing a routine cell check found Kevin Vincent Waite, 40, of Ceres, unresponsive in his cell the morning of May 3, said Sgt. Luke Schwartz. No lifesaving efforts were performed because there were obvious signs of death.

Schwartz did not provide the time Waite was found but said it was around breakfast when the inmates wake up for the day.

He did not know when Waite was last checked on but said staff is required to check on inmates every hour. However, staff cannot interrupt the inmates during a seven-hour sleep window, including by shining flashlights into cells.

“We look for general or obvious signs of distress or anything out of the ordinary,” Schwartz said.

He said the death does not appear to be suspicious and is possibly the result of a drug overdose or medical issue, but said an official cause of death is pending toxicology results.

“Adult detention staff does the very best they can based upon their guidelines, policies and procedures,” Schwartz said. “It’s an unfortunate occurrence whenever anyone loses their life, but we assure the community this in-custody death will be given the proper inquiry and investigation it deserves.”

Waite had been in custody since Feb. 10 for arson, vandalism and drug charges. During his scheduled court hearing Wednesday, a prosecutor informed the judge of Waite’s death and said charges would be dropped.