Jan. 14--The Elgin man who died in a Kane County jail bathroom used a string from his sweatpants to hang himself, the sheriff's office said Thursday.
Sheriff Donald Kramer issued a statement saying an internal investigation determined that his staff did not violate any policies in the Jan. 5 death of Piotr Dutkiewicz, 51. But Kramer said he has instructed staff to review policies to determine whether changes could prevent a similar future occurrence.
Dutkiewicz died following his arrest for making a bomb threat to officers who were evicting him from his house. The bomb threat, however, was not credible and Dutkiewicz was taken into custody.
Dutkiewicz was being detained in the general intake area of the sheriff's jail in St. Charles as the charging documents were being completed when he asked to use the bathroom. About 17 minutes later, an officer checking on Dutkiewicz found him, the sheriff's office said.
Staff began CPR, and Dutkiewicz was taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy was conducted with the coroner's office issuing a preliminary finding of death by self-inflicted hanging.
Sheriff's officers had arrived around 9 a.m. that day at Dutkiewicz's home in the 600 block of Forest Avenue to serve an eviction notice. Dutkiewicz, they said, came outside the residence with a large battery with wires taped to it, which he placed on the ground and said "bomb."
The officers said they summoned a Polish-speaking officer to talk to the native of Poland. The bomb squad responded and determined quickly the device was not explosive, police said.
Dutkiewicz was brought to the jail and was screened and cleared by medical staff, according to Kramer. Following an interview and investigation, prosecutors had authorized two felony counts against him for disorderly conduct and threatening a public official.
Officers were finishing up the paperwork when Dutkiewicz, who was in the general waiting area, asked to use the bathroom, according to the department. Because he had not yet been formally admitted to the jail and did not show signs of being suicidal, he was granted some privacy to use the bathroom, the department said last week.
Kramer offered condolences to Dutkiewicz's family in his statement.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
