Man who died in jail identified as suits mount against sheriff's department

With federal lawsuits mounting against the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for a record number of deaths in its jails last year, new details about the four who died behind bars this year have been revealed.

The county's five jails, which house an average daily population of about 3,700 people, saw an unprecedented surge of 18 deaths last year, with an additional death of a man who was transported to a hospital. Data reported to the state shows Sheriff Chad Bianco's department had not logged more than 12 deaths a year since 2005, the earliest year for which data is publicly available.

Three federal suits were filed this week on behalf of the survivors of three men who died in the county's jails last year. Two more cases were filed this year. All of them allege the sheriff's department did not provide adequate treatment for those suffering medical emergencies in jails that are not meeting legal requirements for safety.

Sheriff's department reports, state records and evidence collected by attorneys for civil suits filed this week show four have died in jail, and another in the process of arrest, in 2023. Those numbers could change, however, as the state investigates the reports. These records show that Christian Miguel Viramontes died at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in February. The department had not publicly identified him previously.

Among the cases in 2023 are:

Jan. 12, 2023: Mark Spratt, 24, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. The department later announced that his cellmate, Micky R. Payne, was suspected of killing him and has since been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Feb. 5, 2023: Viramontes, 26, was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail in Riverside and pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m. The department reported to the state that his cause of death remains under investigation.

March 11, 2023: A man who has not been publicly identified was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail in Murrieta. He was pronounced dead at 4:48 p.m.

May 22, 2023: Ruben Guzman, 41, was found unresponsive in a holding cell at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died May 26.

The department is required to report deaths in custody to the California Department of Justice within 10 days. The deaths include not only those that happen in the jail, but those that happen in the process of arrest, while in transit to the jail and at various other points of custody, like while waiting to be booked. The Desert Sun reported last year that the department failed to report several deaths in that timeline and when the department did it reported inaccurate information.

The deaths have, in part, led to the California Office of Attorney General opening an investigation of the department to see if the in-custody deaths were a result of civil rights violations.

The increased scrutiny accompanying the surge of jail deaths has also revealed challenges to an accurate public understanding of the exact number of dead. For example, Sean Harris was rushed to a hospital last year after suffering an apparent overdose at the Murrieta jail, while his family was kept in the dark for days about his critical condition. He remained in poor health for weeks before his relatives ultimately paid his bail and took him home, where he died.

While his medical emergency happened at the Murrieta jail, Harris' death was not reported to the state or publicly because he was technically not in the department's custody when he died. It's unclear if there are others who had medical emergencies in jail but were not in the department's custody at the time of death.

An additional death occurred in a similar manner, raising last year's total to 19, though few details about it have been publicly reported. Aaron Aubrey, 28, died at a hospital on Dec. 19, 2022. The department has not identified him publicly, but later reported his identity to the state, records show. He was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail in Riverside six days before his death.

Jesus Antonio Rodriguez was shot by deputies on Feb. 6, 2023, during what his family later told ABC 7 of Los Angeles was a mental health crisis. No deputies were injured during the confrontation. The department reported his in-custody death to the state as happening in the process of arrest and is still pending investigation.

Christian Drye died at a hospital after being shot by Hemet police officers while they were conducting an investigation. The Los Angeles Times reported that officers entered Drye's backyard looking for a suspect and instead shot Drye who was armed. The police department did not identify Drye in its news release but did state the deceased was "later discovered to be unrelated to the initial investigation and a resident of the neighboring home."

A sheriff's department deputy coroner reported Drye's death to the state on behalf of the Hemet department, saying he died at a local hospital. It's unclear, however, if Drye was in the sheriff's department's custody when he died. The department did not respond to The Desert Sun's inquiry about the report.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.