PORT ORCHARD — A Kitsap County Jail inmate was pronounced dead at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton Feb. 27 after being found by sheriff’s corrections officers unconscious and non-responsive in his single-person cell.

The Kitsap County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Eric Orville Waldenberg, 49, with known addresses in North Kitsap and Jefferson County. Waldenberg was arrested by Poulsbo police Feb. 22 and booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree burglary. On Feb. 23, the state Department of Corrections served an arrest warrant on Waldenberg for escape from community custody.

The discovery was made at 8:57 p.m. Feb. 27 by an officer conducting a periodic security check of an inmate housing unit. Waldenberg “had created a means to carry out self-strangulation utilizing issued inmate property,” sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson reported.

Corrections officers initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an attempt to revive Waldenberg. South Kitsap Fire & Rescue medical aid crews arrived at the jail at 9:05 p.m. and continued emergency care while transporting him to the medical center for enhanced medical care. Emergency department medical staff declared Waldenberg deceased at 9:56 p.m.

The sheriff’s office requested assistance from the Kitsap County Incident Response Team to conduct an investigation into Waldenberg’s death. A Bremerton police detective sergeant led the enquiry, assisted by investigators from Port Orchard police and Washington State Patrol.

“The investigation is largely completed,” Wilson reported. “The county’s forensic pathologist will conduct an autopsy. Once completed, the coroner will issue a determination as to the cause and manner of death. When the coroner’s report is received and included as part of the investigative case file, the entire KCIRT report will be sent to the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney for review.”