An inmate being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center in Washington died this weekend of an apparent suicide, according to jail officials.

Sunday at approximately 5 p.m., rescue personnel responded to the jail in the basement of the Beaufort County courthouse, where they found William Gares, 37. Gares, who was not a local resident, had been in custody since Nov. 26, when he was picked up by authorities on a fugitive warrant out of Pennsylvania, a spokesman from the sheriff’s office said. According to jail administrator Capt. Catrena Ross, Gares was wanted for a probation violation.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the death.

“That is mandatory,” Ross said. “Anytime there is a suicide (in the jail), the SBI is contacted to come in.”

Ross said Gares had been located in a single-cell inside of the jail’s E-block, but had tied a blanket from one bar to another to create a screen so none of the other inmates could see inside the cell. Ross said despite regular checks by guards of all the cellblocks, in addition to sporadic checks, the jail’s narrow confines inhibit clear visuals of inmates.

“Like we’ve said for a long time, the structural (set-up) of the jail is very difficult. … We don’t have that open visual, 24/7,” Ross said. “We have new cameras, we have new monitors, but the walls — you can’t see through walls.”

Ross said she believes this is the first suicide that has ever occurred in the Beaufort County Detention Center.

Sheriff Ernie Coleman, who was sworn in on Monday, commended outgoing sheriff Alan Jordan for his handling of the case on Sunday evening.

“It was handled very professionally,” Coleman said, adding that he would be following up with the SBI and District Attorney’s office.

An autopsy will be performed on the deceased, though Ross said Gares hung himself.