Less than two hours after he was taken into custody, a man died Thursday afternoon in a holding cell at the Bennington Police Department.
In a press release issued Thursday night, Vermont State Police said there was no indication that Bennington police had used physical force on the man, who was not immediately identified. State police are investigating the death.
The man was one of three people Bennington police took into custody at around 3:50 p.m. on Thursday, according to state police. They were apprehended at the Apple Valley Inn on Route 7 as police executed a search warrant related to a drug investigation.
The man was taken to the police station and found unresponsive at around 4:40 p.m., state police said. Bennington officers and first responders provided emergency medical care but failed to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the station at 5:19 p.m., according to state police.
Bennington police notified state police of the death at 5:30 p.m. State police detectives responded to the station to begin a death investigation, according to the release. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to perform an autopsy.