A Filipino American correctional deputy accused of killing an inmate at Santa Clara County Jail is now out on bail.
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He was arrested again on September 20 by Milpitas police and booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of assault and battery, being drunk in public, and a traffic-violation warrant, Jensen said.
Officials with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Roches had been forcibly removed from a cell days before his death and taken to the psychiatric ward in Main Jail North for suicide watch.
Firefighters and emergency medical service providers were also called to the jail, where they tried to resuscitate the man, who was pronounced dead shortly after 11 a.m., according to Jensen.
Officials investigating the death of a Santa Clara County inmate found Monday in his cell concluded there is no evidence of foul play. Defense attorneys were also in the area at the time the man was found unresponsive, he added.
The resulting criticism and outcry prompted the Sheriff’s Office to disclose the latest inmate death within hours of its discovery, Jensen said. Authorities have not yet released the inmate’s name.
Following department protocol, staff used pepper spray, clear-out spray and air-powered plastic projectiles that all had no effect on Roches, according to Hirokawa.
Little else was released on the death, including where the man was housed in the Main Jail or how long he had been in custody.
Jensen could not provide disclose the inmate’s medical history or mental state because of medical confidentiality laws.
On August 31, 50-year-old woman Elmwood jail inmate Noriko Seales died from natural causes, specifically a “stroke and hypertensive cardiovascular disease”, according to the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office.
A week before his death, custody health staff recommended Roches be moved to an observation cell after deputies observed him hitting his cell door with his fist, Undersheriff John Hirokawa said. Two were released on $1.5 million bail each on Monday. Three deputies, Jereh Lubrin, Rafael Rodriguez, and Michael Farris, have been charged with murder in the case.
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Since his death, sheriff Laurie Smith has subsequently implemented 40-hour mandatory training for new recruits to the corrections academy on how to better cope with mentally ill inmates.
