Sheriff's Department: Inmate Dies After Being Assaulted

Correction: This story headline had been updated to reflect the San Diego County Sheriff's Department as the source, not SDPD.

A man in custody at the George Bailey Detention Facility was being assaulted by other inmates and died, authorities said Thursday.

Just after 7 p.m., "deputies observed several incarcerated persons fighting in a housing module," Lt. Chris Steffen of the San Diego Sheriff's Department said. Once the men were separated, deputies found Raymond Vogelman, 52, of San Diego near his assigned bunk with injuries requiring emergency medical treatment.

Deputies and jail medical staff rendered aid to Vogelman until paramedics could transport him to a hospital, where he died.

On March 3, San Diego police arrested Vogelman and booked him into the San Diego Central Jail on two counts of burglary and committing a felony while on bail, Steffen said. Vogelman was moved to the George Bailey Detention Facility on Sept. 1.

The sheriff's Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, according to Steffen. The county Medical Examiner*s Office will perform an autopsy, while the county citizens' law enforcement has been notified about Vogelman's death.

So far this year, at least 18 people have died while in custody in San Diego County jails. in August, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an emergency measure aimed at addressing the number of drug overdose deaths in San Diego County jails.

The measure includes expediting staff incentives and strategies included in an employee compensation ordinance also passed, exploring new strategies for care and safety, including additional wellness teams and expanded access to medication-assisted treatment and the purchase of an additional body scanner, with the option for eight more over the next five years.

The moves comes several months after a scathing state audit highlighted a lack of independent oversight in county jails and called on the state legislature to take action.