Man died from ingesting substance during traffic stop

Randolph County Coroner Carlos Barbour reported that on Oct. 12, at approximately 10 p.m. the Sparta Police Department initiated a traffic stop in the 1100 block of East Broadway in Sparta.

During the traffic stop, Scott Schifferdecker, 46, of Steeleville, ingested an unknown substance.

As soon as the officers were aware of the situation, he was taken to Sparta Community Hospital. Schifferdecker was pronounced deceased on Oct. 13 at 1:41 a.m. in the emergency room.

For more on this case, please see this week’s print edition.