Sheriff’s Department investigating death of Sonoma County Jail inmate
PHOTO: Stock image (Source unknown)
WINDSOR // Sheriff’s Detectives are investigating the death of a Sonoma County Jail inmate after the man’s health rapidly declined and ultimately led to his passing during his time in custody.
It all started just after 9 AM on January 31st, when Windsor deputies were dispatched to the Burger King on Hembree Lane to investigate an incident of disorderly behavior. The caller said the man — identified only as a 32-year-old Sonoma County local — appeared to be intoxicated and had just urinated in the parking lot before getting into a black Firebird or Camaro, the windows of which were reportedly fogged up, suggesting he had been there for some time.
Responding deputies found the man in his vehicle and determined he was far too intoxicated to care for himself, opting to take him into custody for misdemeanor public intoxication. He was taken to the Sonoma County Jail, arriving just before 10 AM.
Later, just before 12:30 that afternoon, the man was seen going into “medical distress” while waiting in the common booking area and was promptly tended to by four correctional deputies and several jail medics. He was then taken by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Santa Rosa at 12:41 PM.
Less than an hour later, at 1:07 PM, Kaiser Hospital reported to the Sheriff’s Office that the man had died.
Sheriff’s Detectives have since contacted the Marin County Sheriff’s Office to handle coroner’s duties, including an autopsy to determine cause of death. The Sheriff’s Department notes that the initial contact and arrest were all documented by the deputies’ body cameras.
The man’s identity is being withheld at this time, pending notification of family.
