Prescription drug overdose cause in community corrections death

Jasper — The toxicology report regarding the death of a Dubois County Community Corrections participant was released by the Dubois County Coroner’s Office Wednesday.

Corrections officers found Christopher A. Klee, 29, of Jasper, unresponsive in his bed at the center at about 3:55 a.m. Wednesday, September 3.

The Dubois County Sheriff’s Department and Memorial Emergency Medical Services responded to the center but Klee was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dubois County Coroner.

According to the coroner’s report released today, Klee was found to have methadone in his system at the time of death and the cause of death was declared to be from methadone toxicity.

Methadone is used as a pain reliever and as part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programs.

“He seemed to be a nice young man. We never had an issue with him,” Weisheit stated today. “Unfortunately, we can’t control the misuse of prescription drugs.”

Corrections officers conduct rounds through the center regularly and while doing so, they carry a scanner that reads codes at each dormitory and room to verify the rounds are being completed. The scanner automatically downloads the scan times to a computer file that stores the records for review when it is placed back on its dock.

According to Weisheit, no method of checking on inmates is perfect, but the officers at the corrections center make regular rounds that are tracked by the scanners and cameras in the facility. “A guy (corrections officer) could walk through there at 9 p.m. and someone could die at 9:15,” he explained. “The lights are turned off and we don’t shine lights in their faces at night.”