By News release
Mule Creek State Prison inmate David Noles, 73, who was serving a 34-year sentence for rape with foreign object and sexual battery, was pronounced dead on Aug. 30 at 4:05 p.m., after he was discovered unresponsive in his cell.
Staff immediately began lifesaving efforts, and the inmate was transported to Mule Creek State Prison's Triage Treatment Area where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
An autopsy performed on Sept. 2 by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death was strangulation. Prison officials and the Amador County District Attorney's Office are investigating Noles' death.
Noles was convicted in 1993 from Sonoma County. The facility where Noles was housed is a Level-IV Maximum Security Facility with approximately 1200 inmates. Noles' assigned cellmate has been placed in higher custody pending the investigation per protocol.
Mule Creek State Prison, which opened in 1987, houses approximately 3,900 minimum to medium and maximum custody inmates. The prison provides educational, medical and mental health services and employs more than 1,400 people.
