OVERDOSE SUSPECTED IN JAILHOUSE DEATH

Nanaimo RCMP, Corrections B.C. and the provincial Coroner's Office are
looking at whether a prisoner died of a drug overdose at Nanaimo
Correctional Centre Friday.

Jason Stodgell, 30, was found unconscious in his prison cell during a
routine check at about 1 a.m.

Corrections staff was unable to revive him, so he was taken by
ambulance to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. He was pronounced dead
at 1:46 a.m., which led to the provincial Coroners' Office and the
RCMP getting involved in the case.

"It's basically with the coroner now," says Const. Jen Allan, Nanaimo
RCMP spokeswoman.

"The complaint came in of a possible overdose. The victim had already
gone to hospital."

Coroner Dave Sherstone is now awaiting the results of a toxicological
report, which could take up to eight weeks.

Corrections B.C. wouldn't comment on the death, pending the autopsy
results. Nor would the ministry say if a serious drug problem exists
at Nanaimo's medium security prison.

"I'm not sure I can really answer that and say there is a drug problem
in there - we have a very strong interdiction program in place," says
Bruce Bannerman, spokesman for Corrections B.C.

"We have many strategies that we try to prevent drugs from coming in,
and inmates are very inventive in the means that they can bring
illicit substances into the jail."

The death is the first in the two decades since Nanaimo Correction
Centre opened, and seven years since it went from a minimum-to a
medium-security prison.

Bannerman said a review is automatic whenever a prisoner dies while in
custody.