By LEONARD GRAY

VACHERIE – Exact cause of death is still unknown in the case of a 31-year-old Vacherie man, who was booked Aug. 18 for fourth-offense DWI and died Thursday in a Thibodaux hospital.

His father, Nelson Bartholomew, is dissatisfied with the progress of the case.

“We don’t understand how a healthy man can, all of a sudden, just drop dead for no reason,” he said.

Capt. John Morse of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Brandon Bartholomew, of 19494 Lemon St., was booked by Louisiana State Police for fourth-offense driving while intoxicated, improper lane usage and resisting arrest, while driving on Louisiana Highway 1 in Thibodaux, near Canal Street.

During a breath test conducted at the Lafourche Parish Detention Center, Bartholomew registered 0.389 grams percent of alcohol, nearly four times the state legal limit.

Because of the unusually high amount of alcohol in his bloodstream, Bartholomew was taken directly to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center for an examination. After being checked by a doctor, he was cleared to be transported to jail.

Bond was set on Bartholomew at $50,000. Unable to make bond he remained in his cell, his father said, on suicide watch. No explanation was given by the sheriff’s office for the suicide watch designation, Nelson Bartholomew said.

Morse said at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, a corrections officer found Brandon Bartholomew unconscious in his cell and he was returned to the hospital. He died later that night, a hospital spokesperson said.

Bartholomew’s father said his son did not have a bad heart and, so far as he knew, did not use drugs.

Nelson Bartholomew said his son had “blackened eyes” and there were several “strange marks” on his son’s back.

“They (jail officials) said he was hitting his head against the wall. They said he had a fight with his girlfriend. They said he had a fight in the cell. The story keeps changing,” Nelson Bartholomew said.

Morse said an autopsy was performed Friday, but preliminary results could not determine the exact cause of death, and toxicology reports were still pending. Dot Stacey, of Lafourche Parish Coroner Dr. Coleridge Franklin’s office, commented Tuesday, “We do not have anything else. We’re waiting on specimen results.”

The body of Brandon Bartholomew was released to his family in Vacherie. Funeral arrangements are set for Thursday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in South Vacherie. Visitation begins at 8 a.m.

“We’re just trying to get the truth,” his father said. “We can’t seem to find the truth.”