Man in Venice jail died from drug overdose, toxicology reports show

A 38-year-old man who died while in custody of the Venice Police Department suffered an overdose of a mix of drugs, the Madison County Cororner's Office reported.

Clifton Lovett of Alton was found unresponsive and not breathing in his cell at the Police Department just before 3 a.m. on Feb. 21. He was pronounced dead at Gateway Regional Medical Center about an hour later.

Roger Smith, Madison County's chief deputy coroner, said Lovett died from an overdose, and his death was ruled accidental. He had fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone and cocaine in his system.

Lovett had been arrested Feb. 20 on suspicion of driving under the influence and having an illegal weapon. At the time of his arrest, a woman who was with him was transported to the hospital for symptoms of an overdose.

This story was originally published May 15, 2018 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Man in Venice jail died from drug overdose, toxicology reports show."