LENOIR, N.C. (WHKY) – Sheriff Kevin Bean announced that the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with an independent investigation following the death of an inmate at the Caldwell County Detention Center. On Thursday (August 6) detention officers responded after 39-year-old Matthew Howard Roark of Granite Falls, was found unresponsive in his cell by his cellmate. Detention staff immediately initiated lifesaving measures until emergency medical personnel arrived. Despite those efforts, Roark was pronounced deceased.

Roark had been arrested by Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputies on August 4, after being served with a parole violation warrant. He was subsequently charged with possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances.

In accordance with standard procedure, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct an independent investigation into the death. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is also involved, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death. The investigation is ongoing.