Suicide reported at San Luis Obispo County Jail
–On Sunday, during a scheduled check of inmates at the San Luis Obispo County Jail, correctional deputies found an inmate unresponsive and hanging in his single-occupancy cell. Correctional deputies immediately began life-saving measures, including CPR, and calling for emergency medical services. The inmate, identified as 47-year-old Michael Wayne Nonella, remained unresponsive and was later pronounced deceased.
Correctional deputies had last observed Nonella at approximately 11:20 a.m. while bringing him lunch, at approximately 11:44 a.m. correctional deputies discovered Nonella hanging in his cell. All inmate checks were completed on schedule. At this time, it is believed that Nonella took his own life by using his bedding to hang himself.
Nonella had been in custody since July 25, 2018, for charges of violation of post-release supervision. Nonella had a projected release date of Nov. 6, 2018.
This appears to be the third attempted suicide in the county jail in the past month, according to the sheriff’s office. On Aug. 18, two different individuals made attempts at suicide, and correctional deputies were able to intercede and save their lives.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office is taking the lead in investigating the circumstances of Nonella’s death, with assistance from sheriff’s office detectives.
No further information is available at this time.
