Indiana State Police investigating in-custody death of Kentucky man in Harrison County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A man died while in the custody of deputies in Harrison County, Indiana, last weekend.

In a social media post on Friday, the Harrison County Sheriff's Department said deputies went to a home in Laconia, Indiana, on Saturday, Dec. 21, after neighbors reported a suspicious car on their property.

A deputy said the driver, 43-year-old Jeffery Ruple of Hodgenville, Kentucky, told him he used meth and thought he was in Louisville.

The sheriff's department said that while Ruple "appeared to be under the influence," he wasn't violent or aggressive.

A K-9 unit found meth, needles, marijuana and other paraphernalia in Ruple's vehicle and arrested him.

While being transported to the Harrison County Jail, the sheriff's department said Ruple's behavior "started to change."

Corrections officers at the jail wouldn't take him in until he was medically cleared. When putting Ruple back in a department vehicle, deputies said he "stiffened his legs and refused to do so" but was not fighting or being violent.

That's when deputies called for an ambulance. While waiting on EMS, Ruple became unresponsive so deputies began CPR until EMS arrived and took over. He was transported to Harrison County Hospital's ER and later pronounced dead.

Indiana State Police were contacted to conduct an in-custody death investigation. Harrison County said deputies were wearing body cameras that were recording throughout the entire incident. Those recordings have been given to ISP for their investigation.

The sheriff's department said the county coroner had conducted an autopsy with ISP, but wasn't sure when the results might be available.

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