cannabisnews.com:   Parolee Dies After Apparently Swallowing Drug





   Parolee Dies After Apparently Swallowing Drug
Posted by FoM on January 01, 1999 at 10:22:54 PT

A 27-year-old parolee who died after a traffic stop apparently told paramedics he had swallowed drugs before becoming ill Wednesday.Autopsy to be conducted Saturday to determine cause of death.
Donnie Roundtree, who was paroled in September, was a passenger in a car stopped for expired tags by Officer Robert Kicklighter. Roundtree and the driver, Richard Hymon, 27, both were acting nervous when Savannah police approached the car.Crack cocaine and marijuana were found inside the car. After being put into a patrol car, Roundtree told officers he was feeling sick. Paramedics were called to the scene at Stephenson Avenue and Habersham Street about 5:30 p.m."EMS personnel said he stated to them he had swallowed a controlled substance," Bucky Burnsed, police spokesman, said Thursday.Roundtree was taken to Memorial Medical Center where he died about 8 p.m.Police don't know exactly what Roundtree swallowed. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday to determine the cause of death, but results from toxicology tests may take several months, said Detective Sgt. Andre Oliver.The officers and other witnesses -- including Hymon -- said they didn't see Roundtree swallow anything or put anything in his mouth, said Detective Kevin Elleby, the case investigator. Hymon was charged with drug possession, driving under the influence and other crimes.Roundtree was released Sept. 3 from Bulloch County Correctional Institution on parole from a possession of cocaine conviction, said Jennifer Sarginson, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections.Just 16 days after his release from prison, Roundtree found himself locked up for a month in the Chatham County jail after an argument with a girlfriend who lives in Yamacraw Village. Police were called to the woman's home Sept. 19 and Roundtree was charged with simple battery. That case was still pending at the time of Rountree's death.The monthlong stay in the county jail was meant to get his attention to the rules and conduct expected of a parolee, said Jay Lacienski, Savannah parole chief.Since that incident, Roundtree had been working at the Golden Corral, obeyed his 7 p.m. curfew and reported for office visits, said Brian Blackmon, Roundtree's parole officer.
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Comment #1 posted by Brian Blackmon on November 01, 1999 at 14:59:07 PT:
Swallowing Crack Is Bad, Mmmkay
As the late Mr. Roundtree's parole officer (and no longer in law enforcement), I must say that his death was unfortunate and preventable. Had Mr. Roundtree not ingested the narcotic in question, he would still be a hell of an employee at the Golden Corral! 
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