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Two die in California law enforcement custody

An officer walking toward a building entry marked with a sheriff's department logo and the words "Intake and Release Center"
A sheriff’s deputy approaching the Orange County Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, where a man fell ill before dying at a hospital Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Two men died while in the custody of different Southern California law enforcement agencies this week.

On Wednesday, Jose Luis Quesada “suffered a medical emergency” after an appearance at the Victorville Courthouse, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Quesada, 51, was an inmate at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, charged with crimes including burglary, assault and possessing contraband in prison, according to court records. He was arrested in June on outstanding warrants and was awaiting trial.

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After collapsing, he was taken to the hospital, where he died Thursday.

“Investigators with the Specialized Investigations Division are conducting the death investigation,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, adding: “The cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy.”

In Orange County, authorities are investigating the death of Sean Conroy Whiting, according to a City News Service report.

Whiting, 35, was booked into the Orange County Men’s Jail in Santa Ana on Wednesday on accusations of violating a domestic violence restraining order.

On Friday, he reported health issues and was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he died around 4:30 p.m. of unknown causes.

The City News Service reported that the Orange County district attorney’s office planned to conduct a review of Whiting’s death.

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