SUSANVILLE – High Desert State Prison (HDSP) officials are investigating the death of inmate Rodney J. Delong Jr., 28, as a homicide.
On Sunday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m., custody staff found Delong unresponsive in his short-term restrictive housing unit cell. They began lifesaving efforts; however, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 1:02 p.m.
Delong was admitted from Placer County on March 4, 2014, and was serving a nine-year sentence for first-degree burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
HDSP investigators identified Delong’s cellmate, Robert J. Stockton, 40, as the suspect. Stockton was admitted from Tehama County on October 18, 1995, to serve life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and use of a firearm.
The Office of Inspector General was notified.
High Desert State Prison, located in Lassen County, opened in 1995 and houses 3,466 minimum-, medium-, and maximum-custody inmates. The institution provides academic classes, vocational instruction, work assignments and rehabilitation programs and employs more than 1,200 people.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2018
Contact: Lt. Greg Crowe
(530) 251-5100 ext. 5501
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