Deceased inmate’s name released

Published 4:07 pm Monday, December 17, 2012

 

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office released the name on an inmate who died Saturday at St. Mary’s Medical Center, Ironton Campus.

Steven J. Conley, 23, of Kitts Hill, an inmate at the jail, complained of tightness in his chest early Saturday morning and was subsequently transported by Lawrence County EMS to the medical center where he was pronounced dead.

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Lawrence County Coroner Dr. Kurt Hofmann sent the body to Franklin County for an autopsy Sunday evening, according to a release by Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless, who has asked the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association to conduct an independent investigation, which, Lawless said, is routine for these types of cases.

The release stated Hofmann expected the autopsy to be performed today.

“We hope to have some preliminary results from the autopsy within a few days, however, a complete autopsy report will not be ready for several weeks,” Lawless said in the release.

Conley had been housed in the jail on charges of first-degree complicity to aggravated robbery and fourth-degree trafficking in drugs. He was being held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond.

Conley was arrested in October after a raid at the Southern Hills Motel in South Point. The Lawrence Drug and Major Crimes Task Force conducted the search at the motel netting two arrests, 132 oxycodone pills, nine Xanax pills, various drug paraphernalia and $466 in cash.