Santa Barbara County Jail Inmate Dies by Suicide
Had Been Booked Five Days Earlier on Burglary and Drug Charges
A Santa Maria man booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on July 12 for burglary and drug charges has died by suicide, Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Kean Ardie San Juan Pinon, 35, was found unresponsive in his housing unit at around 2:20 p.m. on Saturday. He was alone and hanging from a bedsheet fashioned into a ligature, officials said. Jail staff immediately rendered aid, but Pinon was pronounced dead at Cottage Hospital approximately an hour later.
“Although this appears to be an apparent suicide, the Sheriff’s Office is conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick said. Pinon’s next of kin have been notified.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or text TALK to 741741.
