May 22—An inmate at the El Paso County jail died three weeks after being admitted to a local hospital while in custody, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced in a news release Monday.

The 76-year-old man, identified by the Coroner's Office as Rick Mendez, was admitted to the hospital on April 30 by the jail's contracted medical staff for a "preexisting medical condition," the release said.

Mendez died just after midnight on Saturday, the Sheriff's Office said.

"Although the Sheriff's Office believes (the man's) death is a result of natural causes, Sheriff (Joe) Roybal has requested an autopsy by the El Paso County Coroner's Office," the release said.

Autopsy results generally take six to eight weeks to complete, the Coroner's Office said.

Due to his age and "serious" health condition, the Sheriff's Office considered petitioning the court to release Mendez from custody to receive treatment; however, the "seriousness" of his charges and his "continued aggressive behaviors towards" deputies and hospital nursing staff led deputies to keep Mendez in custody while receiving treatment, the release said.

Mendez was originally booked into the jail on Oct. 16 on felony assault charges, crimes against an at-risk person, duty to register (as a sex offender), violation of a restraining order, various reckless driving charges and other traffic violations.