The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two in-custody deaths at the Greensboro Detention Center that occurred within a span of less than two weeks, according to information released by the sheriff’s office.

Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers reported this week that, on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, detention staff discovered Jimmy Wilkerson – a 65-year-old Black man – in medical distress inside his cell.

Wilkerson had been arrested the previous night, Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 10:02 p.m., and processed into the jail in downtown Greensboro on a charge of driving while impaired. He was being held under a $7,500 secured bond pending his initial court appearance.

Wilkerson was transported by detention staff to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. He remained hospitalized, and he later experienced a medical episode that led to his death on Saturday, Jan. 3.

The Sheriff’s Office said that Wilkerson’s next of kin was present at the hospital at the time he died.

As required by protocol, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the local medical examiner are investigating the death.

Three days later, detention staff discovered another inmate unresponsive.

Rogers reported that early Tuesday morning on January 6, detention staff found Nathaniel Rice, a 47-year-old Black man, unresponsive inside his cell at the Greensboro Detention Center.

Emergency Medical Services responded, and Rice was pronounced deceased.

Rice had been arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. and processed into the detention center. He was being held under a $50,000 secured bond pending a future court appearance on charges including first-degree arson, resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer, as well as four counts of malicious conduct by a prisoner involving assault on a government official.

As with Wilkerson’s death, the Sheriff’s Office said the Major Crimes Unit and the medical examiner are investigating.

The two deaths add to a history of in-custody fatalities at the Greensboro Detention Center that have occurred over the years from a range of causes including medical emergencies, suicides and natural causes.

Statewide data shows that deaths in North Carolina county jails remain a persistent issue – even as annual totals have fluctuated in recent years.

Rogers is going to see strong opposition in the coming election and, if more people die this year, his opponents may use it as a form of criticism.

 On the other hand, former Republican longtime Sheriff BJ Barnes saw quite a few deaths in jail during his watch and Barnes often pointed out, correctly, that, as a rule, the people held in the jails – often drug addicts or the homeless – are often not in the best health to being with.

Advocacy groups and state reviews have previously identified medical issues, substance withdrawal, suicide and delayed responses to medical distress as common factors in jail deaths across North Carolina.

Jail policies require frequent, in-person welfare checks of inmates, particularly those with known medical or mental health concerns.

No causes of death have been released in either of the recent two cases in the Guilford County jails, pending completion of the Medical Examiner’s investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office said it will release additional information if and when it becomes available.

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