Coroner: death was accidental

The Monroe County coroner has ruled the death of a 47-year-old Bedford man who died after being held in the Monroe County jail as accidental.\nJames L. Borden Sr. died more than a month ago under what friends and family have called questionable circumstances. Monroe County Coroner David Toumey released a statement Friday reporting Borden died of a heart attack, drug intoxication and electrical shock.\nToumey couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.\nA statement released just after Borden's death said "standard police procedures by trained officers to control combative or uncooperative individuals" were used.\nMonroe County Sheriff Steve Sharp said Borden became violent once he was in custody.\n"I was told he was a very violent combatant and a taser was used," Sharp said. "We've used the taser several different times on inmates who get violent on us, but we got it because it's non-lethal."\nA taser is a gun used to send an electrical signal throughout the region where taser probes make contact with the suspect's body, resulting in instant loss of control and coordination.\nAfter the incident, Sharp said the coroner's office was immediately contacted and the Bloomington post of the Indiana State Police took over the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest.\n"There have been statements made by the sheriff's office and a video recording of the event has been turned over to the state police," Sharp said.\nThe state police spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.\nBorden's brother, Steven, works at the IU Physical Plant and said his brother's probation officer checked on James in the early evening of Nov. 6.\nThe probation officer called police after it was discovered Borden was wanted in Monroe County for a probation violation.\nSteve Borden said his brother, a diabetic, was disoriented that night because he hadn't taken his insulin for more than a week.\nBorden was taken to the Monroe County jail, where he fell after losing consciousness. Officers then took him to Bloomington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.\n"The state police called me to tell me Jimmy was dead," Steve Borden said. "But they wouldn't tell me specifics. They just kept saying, 'we don't have that information.'"\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.