'Underwater research' got ex-attorney arrested, disbarred

ROSEVILLE — An Auburn man who spent time in prison for conducting a bizarre underwater study on teens and young adults was arrested last week for trying to recruit another young male for a similar plot, violating the terms of his parole.

Roseville police arrested 42-year-old Jonathan Regent Tyrell on Nov. 17. The former attorney recently cultivated a friendship with a 19-year-old male, and tried to recruit him to participate in research involving “underwater apnea testing.” Detectives contacted Tyrell and arrested him for parole violation.

Tyrell was previously convicted of misdemeanor child molestation, forgery, possession of methamphetamine, and battery causing serious bodily injury, all related to Roseville police investigations conducted in 2005.  Tyrell represented himself as a scientific researcher and recruited teenagers and young adults for a bizarre study.

He paid his “research subjects,” which included teenagers as young as 15, to immerse themselves in a bathtub and hold their breath, while he photographed and videotaped them. His conviction for misdemeanor child molestation was related to his recruitment and videotaping of minors for his “research.”  Tyrell was disbarred in 2007 due to his criminal convictions.

Roseville detectives are concerned that Tyrell is exhibiting the same pattern of behavior that led to his previous arrests, and may have contacted other young people, including minors, in order to recruit them for “underwater research.”He is currently in the custody of the California Department of Corrections awaiting a parole violation hearing.

Anyone who has has such contact with Tyrell or has any information that could assist in this investigation is asked to call the Roseville Police Investigation Unit at (916) 774-5070.

Jonathan Regent Tyrell