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A Fairfield man arrested in a sting operation after trying to meet a teen for sex in Danville died at an area hospital after attempting to hang himself while in custody, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.
The decedent has been identified as 50-year-old Jaime Rodriguez, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities first shared details of the case late Wednesday afternoon, while Rodriguez was still alive in the hospital.
According to the sheriff’s office, Rodriguez was arrested at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday (Feb. 27) by the region’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in a multi-agency operation. Investigators allege Rodriguez went to a house in Danville after communicating with a detective posing as a 13-year-old boy and soliciting them for sex.
The Fairfield man was taken into custody on suspicion of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes, contacting a minor to commit a felony, attempting lewd acts on a child, attempting to send harmful material to seduce a minor and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
“While being transported to the Martinez Detention Facility, Rodriguez attempted suicide by hanging himself. Medical aid was rendered, and the suspect was transported to a local hospital,” the sheriff’s office said. No additional details have been released about how or where the arrestee tried to hang himself while in law enforcement custody.
The sheriff’s office confirmed on Thursday morning that Rodriguez had been pronounced dead at a hospital.
His death is being investigated separately by the sheriff’s office and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, in accordance with the county’s law enforcement-involved fatal incident protocol.
The regional internet crimes task force includes investigators from the Walnut Creek, Brentwood, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and Concord police departments, the sheriff’s office, the DA’s office, the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security investigations unit.
