A 20-year-old male inmate facing homicide charges attempted suicide by trying to hang himself in the shower of the Dane County Jail early Thursday, the Sheriff's Office said.
A deputy was able to free the inmate from Stillwater, Minn., from the jail-issued uniform pants he attempted to hang himself with after another inmate alerted the deputy to the situation around 5:24 a.m. The Sheriff's Office said the inmate who attempted suicide was conscious and alert at the time of the rescue.
The inmate was transported to UW Hospital by the Madison Fire Rescue for evaluation and then returned to the jail. The inmate is now being housed in segregation under suicide watch.
At the time of the suicide attempt, the inmate was being housed in a special needs portion of the jail. Dane County Sheriff's public information officer Elise Schaffer said inmates can be placed in special needs cells, which are closer to deputies, for a variety of reasons ranging from mental health problems to other medical needs.
Due to Sheriff's Office policy, Schaffer could not confirm if the inmate was 20-year-old Adam Peterson of Stillwater, Minn., who is currently awaiting trial on first-degree intentional homicide charges in the death of Joel Marino Jan. 28. Officials at UW Hospital confirmed Peterson was discharged from the hospital but would not reveal when.
Marino was found stabbed in an alley on South Park Street and later died at UW Hospital in January. DNA found on a cap, backpack and knife at the crime scene led Madison Police detectives to Peterson, a former UW-Madison student, after a five-month investigation.
Police said they flagged Peterson's behavior as suspicious after he reported his laptop stolen in January and again in February. Eventually, police checked on Peterson at his West Main Street apartment after his roommates called police with concerns.
Peterson is being held on a $1 million cash bail and his trial is scheduled to begin in January 2009.
