Man’s death in custody still under investigation

ELLSWORTH – The cause of death of a Bangor man who was taken off life support Monday while still officially being held in jail custody is still being investigated, according to state officials.

An autopsy on Robert Dembek, 20, was completed Tuesday, but results of toxicology tests are not expected for several weeks, according to Assistant Attorney General Chuck Dow.

Before he was hospitalized Saturday, Dembek allegedly told corrections officers at the Hancock County Jail that he had ingested a large amount of drugs, according to law enforcement officials.

It is state policy to investigate the death of anyone who dies while in official custody of jail or law enforcement officials, Dow said Wednesday.

Dow declined to make any further comment on the matter.

Dembek was arrested last weekend by Ellsworth police after they received a complaint that he was driving erratically on Bucksport Road. Dembek was taken to the local jail after police allegedly found three syringes, a large amount of cash, cocaine, heroin and a loaded 9 mm handgun in his car.

After reportedly telling corrections officers he had ingested drugs, Dembek went into convulsions while still being held in the facility’s booking area, Hancock County Sheriff William Clark has said.

Dembek was taken to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth and, after he slipped into a coma, was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, according to Clark.

Dembek’s condition worsened, and after he was taken off life support Monday morning at the Bangor hospital, he died, the sheriff has said.

Ellsworth police Lt. Harold Page has said Dembek had more than 7 ounces of cocaine and between 30 and 40 bags of heroin with him when he was arrested on charges of aggravated trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs.