SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Indiana State Police have identified the inmate who died Friday afternoon at the St. Joseph County Jail as 34-year-old Dustin Pate.
Pate had been facing multiple charges following a police chase that ended in a crash on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Mishawaka. Authorities said he assaulted officers during the incident, disarmed one officer, and fired that officer’s weapon while resisting arrest. Charges against Pate included attempted murder, resisting law enforcement, and striking a law enforcement animal, among others.
According to police, jail staff discovered Pate unresponsive in his cell just after 12:30 p.m. during routine checks. Staff immediately began life-saving measures until South Bend EMTs arrived, but those efforts were unsuccessful, and Pate was pronounced dead at the jail.
Indiana State Police said they do not suspect foul play in connection with his death. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday to determine the cause and manner of death. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Pate’s death remains ongoing.
