Nevada prison system announces 2 inmate deaths

The Nevada Department of Corrections on Monday announced the death of two inmates who died in December.

Gary Blevins, a 73-year-old inmate, died Dec. 11 of unknown causes at the Regional Medical Facility at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. The coroner from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office responded to Blevins’ death and will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause.

Blevins was serving consecutive sentences of ten-years-to-life with the possibility of parole for first degree murder and for use of deadly weapon enhancement. He had been in prison since Dec. 1990.

The Department of Corrections said it had announced Blevins’ death Dec. 12 but that some media outlets had not received a news release because of technical difficulties with its email system.

The second inmate who died, Ronald Bugbee, 76, was incarcerated at High Desert State Prison, the department said. He was taken to Valley Hospital Medical Center for an unknown medical condition Dec. 8. He died Dec. 21.

Bugbee was serving concurrent sentences of 10-years-to-life with the possibility of parole for sexual assault and five-to-20 years for sexual assault with a victim under 16. He had been in prison since April 2003.

Bugbee’s next of kin was recently notified of his death. The Clark County coroner’s office will release his official cause of death.

Blevins and Bugbee both committed their crimes in Clark County, according to the Department of Corrections.

Contact reporter Cassandra Taloma at ctaloma@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @CassandraTaloma.