Cesar D. Flores of New Cassel, who died in police custody, was facing drug charges, Nassau cops say

A 32-year-old New Cassel man who died after suffering "a medical emergency" while in custody at Nassau's Third Precinct had been in jail for criminal possession of a controlled substance, the police department said late Sunday.

Police earlier identified the man as Cesar D. Flores.

He suffered the medical emergency just before 1 a.m. Thursday at the Williston Park precinct, according to a police department news release. After officers initially rendered medical aid, he was transported by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday.

Late Sunday, Nassau Police Lt. Richard LeBrun said Flores had been arrested Thursday on two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

In March, an inmate at the Nassau County jail in East Meadow died after being found unconscious in his cell. Ray DiGiacomo, 45, was discovered in his cell and pronounced dead one hour later at a hospital, Nassau County police said. He died of an overdose with fluorofentanyl, heroin, fentanyl and codeine in his system, according to the Nassau County Office of the Medical Examiner.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced in April 2021 that she would not seek criminal charges against Suffolk County police officers who arrested a Patchogue man who died from cardiac arrest while in custody the year before.

James' office investigated the July 19, 2020, death of Wenzola Rountree, 42, under a state law appointing the attorney general as special prosecutor when unarmed civilians die during police interactions.

"This was a tragic situation that resulted in the death of Mr. Rountree," James said in the announcement. "Based on all the evidence we gathered and analyzed over the course of our investigation, we concluded that there was no evidence that the members of the Suffolk County Police Department engaged in criminal conduct."

Police on Sunday did not immediately release additional details on the type of medical emergency Flores suffered at the precinct or a potential cause of death.