Aaron Sarles, 26, of Imperial died today, Feb. 3, following an apparent medical emergency that occurred while he was incarcerated at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Sarles lost consciousness at about 9 a.m. today, and jail staff members performed life-saving measures until emergency medical service personnel arrived and continued the life-saving efforts and transported Sarles to a hospital, the report said.
Sarles had been taken to the jail on Feb. 1 after he was stopped by a Sheriff’s Office deputy for allegedly driving with an expired license plate. The deputy also learned Sarles was wanted in St. Francois County on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, and operating a motor vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility, a class D misdemeanor, following an arrest by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper in April 2023, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A few hours after arriving at the Jefferson County Jail, Sarles appeared to be ill and was taken to an area hospital. After he was examined, Sarles was returned to the jail on Feb. 1, the report said.
Sarles continued to appear ill while at the jail, and he was moved to a different housing location to be monitored by medical staff while he waited to be transported to St. Francios County, according to the report.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the cause of Sarles’ death, and the Sheriff’s Office is investigating what happened to Sarles while he was being held at jail, Sheriff Dave Marshak said today in a written statement.