Man found dead in Bennington police holding cell

BENNINGTON — A man was found dead in a Bennington police holding cell on Thursday.

The incident took place at the Bennington Police Department after a man was arrested.

Through preliminary investigation, police say there is no indication that Bennington police used physical force on the subject.

He was one of three people taken into custody at about 3:50 p.m. as Bennington officers carried out a court-ordered search warrant related to a drug investigation at the Apple Valley Inn on U.S. Route 7.

The subject was taken to the Bennington Police Department and placed in a holding cell, where he was discovered unresponsive at about 4:40 p.m.

Members of the police department provided emergency medical care and called first responders, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and the man was pronounced dead at 5:19 p.m.

Following standard procedure, the Bennington Police Department notified the Vermont State Police of the death at 5:30 p.m.

Detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations responded to the station to perform a death investigation.

An autopsy will be conducted at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.