A 70-year-old inmate died in the Porter County Jail after being discovered having a medical emergency in his cell Sunday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
Gene A. Rush, of the 100 block of Fisher Street in Valparaiso, was found to be in medical distress at 7:41 a.m. Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.
Jail personnel and EMS personnel attempted life-saving measures, but Rush was pronounced dead at the jail.
The Porter County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death for Rush.
Porter County Sheriff’s detectives are also investigating.
Rush was booked into the Porter County Jail at 2:38 p.m. on July 2 on a suspected violation of driving while his license is under suspension, records show.
In March, Rush’s driver’s license was suspended for 582 days after being convicted in Montgomery County, Indiana, for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person, a Level 6 felony.
He also had a prior conviction on an operating while intoxicated misdemeanor charge in October 2024 in Porter Superior Court, which factored into his license suspension.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.