Coroner identifies inmate who died at Berkeley Co. jail

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office has idenfied the Hanahan man who died early Monday morning at the county jail.

Justice Roemello Rogers, 27, died after becoming unresponsive at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center, Chief Deputy Coroner Darnell Hartwell said.

The coroner’s office was notified at 7:06 a.m. about Rogers’ death after all lifesaving efforts had been exhausted by detention center staff and first responders, Hartwell said.

An autopsy for Rogers has been scheduled for Thurday.

Records state he was booked into the Berkeley County jail on May 6 as a “habitual traffic offender,” although the jail website showed bond had not been set on the charge.

Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeremy Baker says the death occurred around 6:30 a.m. and appeared to have been a medical event.

Rogers found himself at the center of a lawsuit in 2012 after The South Carolina High School Football League deemed him ineligible to play for Goose Creek High School. A judge’s ruling ultimately disqualified the Gators from the playoffs that year.

Rogers expressed gratitude to the community that rallied around him and the team, coming together to raise nearly $25,000 to buy each player a championship ring to remember their 13-0 season.

The State Law Enforcement Division was called in to investigate Rogers’ death.

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