AUBURN — A 53-year-old Norway man died at the Androscoggin County Jail late Sunday, 13 hours after he had been moved to an observation cell for refusing to take his medications.

Sheriff Guy Desjardins said Reid Ross of 7 King St. was being held at the jail following his arrest on two Class D counts of criminal threatening, and one misdemeanor count of violating conditions of release. The charges were filed in 11th District Court in South Paris on Feb. 15, and Ross has been housed at the Androscoggin County Jail since then.

According to Desjardins, Ross’ family has been notified of his death.

Ross was moved to an observation cell before 10:50 a.m. Sunday, and checked every 15 minutes during the next 13 hours. An officer found Ross unconscious at 11:52 p.m., and jail officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Ross was transported to the hospital at 12:03 a.m. Monday, where he was pronounced dead.

According to Desjardins, state police and representatives of the Maine Attorney General’s Office are investigating Ross’ death.

According to Sun Journal archives, Ross and his wife moved from Jackman to Wilton in 2008 to be closer to doctors and hospitals. Ross, who suffered from emphysema and asthma and had recently qualified for Social Security benefits to augment his wife’s disability payments, purchased the Wilton home after seeing it on Facebook.com. At the time, the house needed a new roof and chimney and its only water source was from a brook that flowed next to the property. Ross told the Sun Journal, after purchasing the home, he was confident he could make the repairs himself.

When they moved in, the couple discovered that there was a leak in the septic system, and that a partially buried oil tank was being used to store waste.

After months of trying to work with the couple, who could not afford the estimated $13,000 to install a new septic system, Wilton’s building code enforcement officer entered into a consent agreement with Ross and his wife, which included an order to repair the system or vacate the home.

In March 2010, the court ordered the building condemned and forced Ross out.

As recently as Jan. 27, Ross was still living in Wilton, where he was arrested on a warrant charging unpaid fines and fees of more than $1,500 on charges of attaching false license plates and operating after suspension. Ross arranged a payment plan with Franklin County, and was released from the Franklin County Jail.

On Feb. 2, Ross was living in Norway and arrested by Norway police on a Rumford charge of telephone harassment in connection with an incident on Congress Street in Rumford.

Then, on Feb. 15, he was charged by Norway police with two counts of criminal threatening and violating bail conditions, according to court records, and transported to the Oxford County Jail.

From there, Ross was moved to the Androscoggin County Jail.

According to court records, Ross and Nancy Wilmot were evicted from their Beal Street apartment in Norway in late January, and friends from across the street offered to let Ross and Wilmot stay with them until they could arrange to move in with Ross’ daughter in New Hampshire. After three weeks, the friends asked Ross and Wilmot to leave, which they did, but left their belongings in the apartment.

According to police records, one of those friends sent a text message to Wilmot asking her to remove their belongings on Feb. 12, and Ross came to the apartment and was confrontational.

According to witness statements, when Ross arrived at the apartment, he threatened to tap his friends’ phones and to physically harm them both if they didn’t leave him alone.

Ross was charged with criminal threatening on Feb. 15 in connection with that incident.