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Inmate Found Dead In Capital Region Jail Cell Days After Arrest

An inmate was found dead at a jail in the region days after his arrest.

Derek Labutta.

Derek Labutta.

Photo Credit: Saratoga Springs Police/Google Maps street view

Saratoga County Sheriff’s officials said Derek Labutta, age 43, of Schenectady, was found unresponsive in his cell at the county jail in Ballston Spa on Monday evening, March 18.

Labutta, who was alone in the cell at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death came just two days after Saratoga Springs Police arrested him in a public parking garage on Woodlawn Avenue on Saturday morning, March 16.

Police said patrol officers spotted Labutta and another individual entering a vestibule and smoking an illegal substance. 

Labutta was taken into custody for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded firearm and numerous drugs.

At the time of his death, he was awaiting a future court date.

Sheriff’s officials did not speculate on a possible cause of death. The Saratoga County Coroner’s office was expected to conduct an autopsy.

As is standard procedure, the incident is being reviewed by the New York State Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation.

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