Man found dead in Bibb jail was locked up in mid-May on shoplifting, damage charges

A 40-year-old Macon man who had been held in the Bibb County jail since mid-May on shoplifting and criminal damage charges was found dead in his cell Thursday night, officials said.

Carlos Delmara Shelley, who had lived on Moseley Avenue with his father, was found unconscious at the county lockup on Oglethorpe Street at about 9 p.m., Coroner Leon Jones said.

The coroner later pronounced Shelley dead. His cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it were not immediately known.

According to jail records, Shelley had be incarcerated since the afternoon of May 16 on charges of theft by shoplifting and second-degree criminal damage to property. He had been held on a $6,600 bond.

Shelley, who according to the Georgia Department of Corrections was also known by the nicknames “Bug” and “Loke,” was imprisoned for less than a month in June of 2018 for a theft conviction.

It was not clear what led to Shelley’s most recent charges.

This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 10:07 AM.

Joe Kovac Jr.

The Telegraph

Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.