Rhea County Sheriff Mike Neal says a new inmate in the Rhea County jail is recovering after his heart stopped Tuesday.

Deputies spotted the inmate not wearing any clothes on Tuesday and took him to the Rhea County Medical Center. At the hospital, Neal said, the man became combative; a crisis-control team was brought in to evaluate him.

They determined he was schizophrenic and the medical center allegedly “could not accommodate him,” so he was returned to the jail.

Neal said the inmate was put into a holding cell, where he asked for a drink.

When someone brought him water in a polystyrene cup, the inmate began eating the cup, pushing it down his throat with his fingers.

Shortly thereafter, his heart stopped. Jail personnel revived him using CPR.

The inmate was taken to a hospital in Chattanooga.

When he recovers, Neal said, the inmate will face indecent-exposure charges.