Man Dies In Jail While Waiting Months For Court Hearing

DETROIT (AP) — A man accused of arson who apparently couldn’t pay bond to get out of jail has died behind bars while waiting months for a court hearing.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on Tinyko Preuitt’s body when he died last week at the Wayne County jail, police said.

Autopsy results were pending, The Detroit News reported.

Preuitt, 48, had been in jail since Oct. 14 when he was charged with preparing to burn a Detroit house, the newspaper said. His bond was set at $50,000.

Preuitt was facing a court hearing to determine if there was enough evidence to send him to trial. Defense attorney James Humphries asked for an in-person hearing instead of one over Zoom. Judge Ronald Giles set one for April 16 — months later.

Humphries said a traditional court hearing is a better setting to challenge evidence and witness testimony.

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