Arlington police investigate in-custody death at detention facility

Arlington police are investigating an in-custody death at a detention facility, officials announced on Tuesday.

Arlington County Police said that at about 7:55 a.m. on Tuesday, police and fire officials were dispatched to the Arlington County Detention Facility for a reported cardiac arrest.

Officials found David Gerhard, 55, of Hedgesville, W.Va., unresponsive in the detention center’s medical unit. Deputies and medical staff members from the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office started resuscitation efforts until Arlington County medics arrived.

Gerhard was pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center, officials said. He had been held since Nov. 20 on a failure to comply with support obligations and contempt of court, police said.

Police said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

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The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it is cooperating with authorities to ensure transparency and clarity in determining the circumstances surrounding Gerhard’s death, adding that the office “is saddened by the loss of Mr. David Gerhard and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

In August, 73-year-old Abonesh Woldegeorges was found unresponsive in the Arlington County Detention Center, where she had been held after being charged with trespassing at Reagan National Airport.

Mike Hemminger, president of the Arlington County branch of the NAACP, called the death Tuesday, among others at the Arlington County jail, “totally unacceptable.”

“There have been nine deaths in eight years, and the death rate is accelerating,” Hemminger said in a phone interview. “It’s a sad tragedy. We’re doing all we can to prevent these deaths, but we’re getting resistance from the county.”

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