Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price appears determined to file criminal charges against seven Alameda County sheriff’s deputies. Maurice Monk, who died after rotting for days in Santa Rita Prison According to a note obtained by this newspaper, it is neglected or in urgent need of medication.

Price called Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez on Friday afternoon and detailed her plans for criminal charges, according to a memo later sent by the sheriff to her staff. The note obtained by this newspaper did not name any of the MPs or the possible charges they might face.

This development comes just days after early voting results showed Price is on track to become the first district attorney in district history to be recalled from office. With nearly 297,000 ballots counted Friday evening, the unprecedented recall measure was passing by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. County leaders say he is expected to remain on duty until results are certified as election officials continue to count the approximately 375,000 remaining ballots, which could take weeks.

No arrests had been made as of early Friday evening, according to Sgt. Sheriff’s spokesman Roberto Morales confirmed the note’s authenticity.

Sanchez defended the deputies in his memo.

“I must admit that mistakes were made in the handling of Mr. Monk; however, these errors do not rise to the threshold of criminal negligence,” Sanchez said in his memo. “I am extremely disappointed in Price’s decision to pursue charges in this case because I believe they are not warranted. “I will continue to support our staff during this difficult process.”

Price’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move comes nearly three years after Monk, 45, was declared dead after he was found face down in his cell next to a puddle of urine and uneaten food on the floor, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. A $7 million agreement was reached with the district.

His death on Nov. 15, 2021, became a flashpoint among activists calling for improved conditions at the prison, where scores of people have died of drug overdoses, suicide and murder over the past decade.

Monk had been booked into the Santa Rita Jail a little more than a month ago and was being held on $2,500 bail while facing a misdemeanor charge of threatening a bus driver. Police arrested him after an argument over whether he should wear a face mask on the bus, according to court records.

But according to the family’s lawsuit, jail security footage shows deputies did little to care for Monk, especially in the last week and a half of his life.

Deputies routinely threw Monk’s medications into the cell while Monk lay motionless, face down in bed, the lawsuit said. And MPs passed him repeatedly In the days before he was declared dead, some loudly asked, “Is (Monk) awake?” he wondered. Is he alive? It was claimed that the family filed a lawsuit. Once, an inmate helping distribute meals at the prison asked lawmakers: “Are we just expecting him to kick the bucket?”

The lawsuit alleged that deputies looked at food left uneaten for days in the doorway, as well as a puddle of brown liquid collecting around Monk as he lay face down on a mattress.

The lawsuit alleged that Monk likely died long before deputies checked his pulse. When they finally carried his hard body out of the cell, his bed appeared to be stained with his prison uniform, the lawsuit said.

A subsequent internal affairs investigation found at least three deputies violated numerous policies, according to the family’s lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that on multiple occasions, deputies forged or falsified records showing how often they checked on Monk’s health.

Monk’s sister, Elvira Monk, told this newspaper that she called prison staff 10 to 15 times, begging them to make sure Monk took his medication. The family claimed that prison staff made no attempt to give him Halidol injection, which is used to treat schizophrenia.

“This could have been prevented,” said Tiffany Monk, 34, another sister.

David Mastagni, attorney for the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs Association, implored residents not to rush to make decisions.

“Everyone has the right to due process,” Mastagni said. “Wait, see and let the truth come to the surface. The truth always surfaces.”

The statute of limitations for most crimes is three years; played a key role in other accusations Price’s office filed a lawsuit against law enforcement earlier this year.

in April, office charges three Alameda police officers An incident of involuntary manslaughter occurred in the death of Mario Gonzalez, who suffocated when police officers collapsed on him while trying to arrest him. Two of those cases were rejectedBut only after the judge ruled that Price’s office failed to seek the proper paperwork (in this case, the arrest warrant) before the statute of limitations expired.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Jakob Rodgers is a veteran breaking news reporter. Call, text or send an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351 or email [email protected].

First Publication Date: November 9, 2024 11:26 PST