Inmate found dead at county jail

By Staff
Jason Cannon, FCT Publisher
An inmate at the Franklin County Jail was found dead in his cell Saturday morning.
James Roy Montgomery, 41, of Florence, was found by jail administrators shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday and rushed to Russellville Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Sheriff Larry Plott said Montgomery was the passenger in a car that was pulled over by a county deputy near Isbell in the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning.
"The deputy executed a traffic stop and upon closer inspection of the car found some drug paraphernalia and both were taken into custody," he said.
Plott added that Montgomery had been involved in an unrelated automobile accident several days prior to his arrest Saturday and was checked for injuries by the jail nurse before being taken to his cell.
"The jail nurse came back by the cell a few hours later to check on him again and he was asleep and snoring," Plott said, "but when the jailer came by to wake him up for lunch, he noticed he wasn't breathing."
Plott said paramedics were called immediately but they were unable to revive him before his arrival at the hospital. The investigation into Montgomery's death has been turned over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, who declined comment since the investigation is still ongoing.