3 Pinellas County Inmates Overdose In Jail

CLEARWATER, FL — A Thursday night medical incident at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater led to the hospitalization of three men and additional criminal charges for one.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, detention deputies began noticing signs of overdose in three inmates housed in the C-Barracks around 5:30 p.m. April 27. Detention deputies and jail medical staff went to work providing care for the three men until paramedics arrived to take them to a hospital for treatment.

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During the subsequent investigation, deputies say one of the men who overdosed, Robert Gilner, 29, was found in possession of a white powdery substance.

“Gilner admitted to deputies that the substance was his and he had shared” it with the other two, an email from the sheriff’s office said. The other two men hospitalized are Jason Koketek, 30, of St. Petersburg and Jason Sandy, 31, of Pinellas Park, the agency reported.

Deputies believe Gilner brought contraband into the jail when he was arrested on April 25 on DUI and driving on a suspended license charges, the agency said. He now faces introduction of contraband into a detention facility charges with other charges pending the investigation’s outcome.

All three inmates were last listed in fair condition and are expected to make a full recovery. The white powdery substance, the sheriff’s office said, is being tested by a lab.

Further information is not yet available.

Booking photos of Gilner, Koketek and Sandy courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office