Macomb County Jail officials have ordered more frequent checks of inmates following the third suicide in the past 2½ months at a facility that has faced recent scrutiny over inmate deaths.

Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said a 34-year-old man, who was being held on criminal sexual conduct charges out of Clinton Township and a controlled substance charge out of Roseville, was found Wednesday hanging by a bed sheet. He had been at the jail since July 10.

On Saturday, a 49-year-old man also committed suicide by hanging. He had been at the jail since July 13 on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, failure to stop after a collision and operating a vehicle while license was revoked/denied.

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Another suicide-by-hanginghappened May 6 with the death of a 28-year-old woman. She was jailed March 31 on charges out of St. Clair Shores of solicitation of murder, tampering with an electronic monitoring device and contempt of court.

"We regret to inform our community that these events have occurred and are doing everything we can to prevent future incidents," Wickersham said.

Since 2014, there have been four suicides at the jail — the three this year and one in 2015.

The sheriff's office noted in a news release that suicide has been the leading cause of death in local jails nationwide every year since 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“On average there are 1,238 prisoners at the jail on a daily basis,’’ Wickersham said. “In all these situations we look at what was done before and do we need to make any changes.

"Looking at these three from 2017, there was really no indication or something that would bring to our attention that maybe we should move these people somewhere else. . ... Our staff did their security round and did the checks. After (Wednesday's) event I ordered additional checks.’’

Wickersham said inmate checks and counts are now being conducted every 30 minutes. Checks of general population inmates had been happening about every 50 minutes, in accordance with state protocols.

Renee Yax, media relations spokeswoman for the jail, said officials are not releasing the names of the three people who recently died.

The jail has been under scrutiny for deaths at the facility over the past four years.

Jennifer Myers, a 37-year-old mother, died while serving a short sentence for being behind on child support payments in 2013. She died from a virus that moved through her body in 12 days.

David Stojcevski, 32, of Roseville died on June 27, 2014, after withdrawal from prescription drugs. He lost 50 pounds in the days leading up to his death, according to reports. He was in jail serving a 30-day sentence for failing to appear in court on a traffic ticket for careless driving. He was locked up in a mental health cell at the jail and was under constant video surveillance. He was seen naked on the floor of the cell in videos that were released. His family filed a federal lawsuit against the county.

In April 2015, Michael Piotrowski, 39, died within 24 hours of entering the jail. He was serving time on weekends for back child support. Later that year, Daniel Byrd, 42, died on his 23rd day of custody. An autopsy found methadone in his system. Both deaths were from drug overdoses.

The jail also came under fire in March last year when Jessica Preston was forced to give birth to her son, Elijha on the floor of a cell. She was in jail for driving with a suspended license.

Wickersham said when inmates arrive at the jail, they are screened by medical staff members who determine physical and mental health issues, according to information the inmate provides. That screening helps determine where an inmate is placed.

Michael O'Meara, communications coordinator for the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, said the commissioners were saddened to hear about the three recent suicides but do not know enough facts about what happened to release a statement. County Executive Mark Hackel did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

A 162-page report by a liability company released in May was critical of the county’s justice system and offered recommendations for a smoother operation.

County officials have struggled for years with the future of the lockup, spending millions of dollars to perform Band-Aid infrastructure fixes at the aged jail in Mt. Clemens. They have been challenged by overcrowding, as well as questions about whether a new jail is needed and how to fund such a pricey project.

According to a report published in December by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of suicides in state prisons nationwide increased by 30%, from 192 to 249, from 2013 to 2014, the most recent data available. In local jails, the number of suicides increased 13%, from 328 to 372 deaths, in the same period.

Locally, suicides have been a concern in Wayne County's jail system.

There were eight deaths — six of which were confirmed suicides — from April 2016 through June 2017, according to Kelly Miner, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office is still waiting for investigative reports from the Detroit Police Department about the two other inmates to confirm whether their deaths were suicides.

Wayne County Undersheriff Daniel Pfannes said all deputies go through suicide awareness training. If an inmate shows any signs of potentially being suicidal, he or she is taken to a mental health unit to be assessed by medical practitioners. Those practitioners provide appropriate medical care and determine the proper housing placement.

The department's current policies are sound, Pfannes said.

"While we do the best we can to secure their well-being, the fact is inmates have innumerable opportunities to initiate their plan to harm themselves," he said.

Pfannes also said: "We're deeply disturbed when someone takes their own life. We’re trying to prevent it from happening, and making sure that the appropriate medical care is given to negate any (suicidal) actions implemented by the inmate."

Contact Perry A. Farrell: pafarrell@freepress.com