Jose Luis Flores Aca. (Portage Co. Jail)

By Brandi Makuski

The Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office today confirmed a male inmate at the Portage County Jail committed suicide Sunday night in his cell.

Chief Deputy Dan Kontos confirmed Monday afternoon the inmate was 33 year- old Jose Luis Flores Aca.

Aca was arrested last year for the murder of Jamie Koch, a Plover resident and SPASH graduate. Aca was arrested shortly after the body of his victim, 36 year-old Jamie Koch, was discovered last August in a burned vehicle on a farm in Waupaca County. He made a plea deal with prosecutors in June to avoid trail and faced life plus 40 years behind bars.

Koch’s family was notified of the Aca’s death this morning.

Aca’s body was discovered during a safety and security check around 11:30 PM. Corrections officers called an ambulance and attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the jail.

Aca somehow came into possession of a screw, which he used to secure one end of a bed sheet to fashion a noose, Kontos said, who added the screw was not typical of hardware used in the jail.

“We’re still trying to find out where that came from,” Kontos said.

Kontos also said the Stevens Point Police Department would conduct the investigation, but initially it appears the inmate acted alone and corrections officers worked “by the book”.

“You’re never going to be 100 percent foolproof, guarding against this,” Kontos said.

When asked if the inmate left a note, Kontos replied, “My understanding is he did, but I have not seen it.”