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MUSKOGEE — Investigators believe a 42-year-old man who died the day after he fell and hit his head during the booking process at the Muskogee County Jail had suffered a head injury before he was brought to the jail, the sheriff said.

Marvin Allen Rowell was taken into custody on suspicion of public intoxication about 5 a.m. Saturday after Muskogee police responded to a shoplifting call at a QuikTrip store, Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson said.

Rowell reportedly tried to walk out of the store with a beer in his pants, and a clerk called police. When officers arrived, officials of the convenience store chain decided not to press larceny charges, and Rowell was taken into custody on a complaint of public intoxication, Pearson said.

When Rowell arrived at the jail, he made a statement to officials that someone “beat the hell” out of him before his arrest. Officials also noted an injury to the side of his head, the sheriff said.

About 16 minutes into the booking process, a jail employee escorted Rowell out of the detox area, and during the walk Rowell fell and hit his head, Pearson said.

The incident was reviewed on video by the sheriff.

“He just looks like he just stumbles and falls,” Pearson said.