The inmate found dead Sunday morning at the York County Jail in Alfred committed suicide, police said Monday evening.

Jeffrey Noonan, 49, of Saco, had been placed on suicide watch over the weekend after telling jail officials he planned to harm himself, said Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland.

Inmates on suicide watch are checked about every 15 minutes, said William King, deputy chief of the York County Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the jail.

Jail officials checked on Noonan at 6:12 a.m. Sunday, McCausland said. When a jail official checked on him again at 6:30 a.m., he was unconscious. A shunt he had been using in conjunction with ongoing kidney dialysis had been removed, McCausland said.

He said the investigation into Noonan’s death has been closed.

Noonan had been at the jail since Jan. 9, when he was arrested for failing to appear in court on a charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs. He was arrested last May on charges of drug trafficking after his apartment in Saco was raided by police as part of a larger drug and burglary investigation involving several men.

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Linda Manuel, who lived in the same apartment as Noonan a few years ago, said she was surprised to learn that he had died, but not shocked. She said he had been in poor health for some time.

Another former neighbor who declined to be identified said he couldn’t believe Noonan was in jail, given his poor health. The neighbor said Noonan had only one arm and one leg and used a wheelchair.

King said he couldn’t remember the last time an inmate committed suicide at the jail.

Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: @PPHEricRussell


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