The death of an inmate at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail earlier this year has been deemed accidental and blamed on multiple factors, including his morbid obesity, enlarged heart, methamphetamine intoxication, and resistance to deputies’ efforts to restrain him.
On Friday, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office released its analysis of the county Sheriff’s Office investigation into the death of Jonathan Paul Thomas, 45, on Jan. 12 while in custody, determining the manner of death was accidental.
“After review of the investigation, the District Attorney’s Office concludes the physical force used by custody deputies to restrain him prior to Thomas’s accidental death was reasonable and lawful, and they bear no state criminal liability,” the report said.
Autopsy results identified the combined effects of morbid obesity, dilated cardiomyopathy, acute methamphetamine intoxication, active resistance, and restraint as the cause of death for Thomas, according to the report.
Santa Maria police arrested Thomas on the night of Jan. 11 on suspicion of domestic violence.
Officers took Thomas to the County Jail after he had been medically cleared at Marian Regional Medical Center.
After his arrest, Thomas reportedly denied recent drug use or any medical issues.
“During the booking process, he made suicidal statements to the intake nurse,” the report said, adding that Thomas became agitated after the nurse said he would need to be placed in a safety cell.
Thomas became combative as the four custody deputes attempted to place him in the safety cell and remove his clothing so he could not use it to harm himself, according to the DA’s report.
The man, who was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 319 pounds, resisted attempts of deputies trying to remove the handcuffs and safely escape the small cell.
After an approximately 6-minute struggle, the four custody deputies left the cell, and jail staff continued to monitor Thomas both visually and audibly through a door slot, the report said.
They went back into the cell when Thomas did not respond to their words and was no longer moving.
“Upon finding Thomas without a pulse, jail personnel began life-saving measures,” the report said, noting efforts included administering oxygen and chest compressions.
However, efforts failed to revive Thomas, and they pronounced him dead just after 2 a.m.
An autopsy determined Thomas suffered a sudden cardiac event caused by multiple factors, leading forensic pathologist Dr. Manny Montez to deem the death accidental.
“In other words, while the restraint used by the deputies was one factor that contributed to the death, the restraint alone was not the direct cause of Thomas’s death,” the report said.
The analysis determined the custody deputies “used reasonable and lawful restraint” to place Thomas in the safety cell, and that they “applied reasonable force in a reasonable manner to restrain Thomas.
“They did not, and could not, know about Thomas’s heart conditions or his acute methamphetamine intoxication,” the report said.
Custody deputies demonstrated “due caution and proper regard for Thomas’s safety at all times leading up to the use of force, during the use of force, and following the use of force,” according to the analysis determining they had no criminal legal culpability for the death.
“Applying the law to the facts of this case, there is no evidence to support a finding of criminal negligence against the custody deputies. Quite the opposite,” the report said.
“The evidence shows the deputies’ conduct demonstrated a conscientious concern for Thomas’s well- being; that they exercised due care for his health and safety; and that they could not have foreseen the combination of events that led to his death.”
More than two weeks after Thomas’s death, a vigil occurred at the Santa Barbara Courthouse where activists called for a reduction in the jail population; improved risk assessment to determine whether someone should be incarcerated, in treatment or released; and more community-based treatment alternatives.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
