SACRAMENTO - Kern County faces a lawsuit over the suicide of a prisoner.
Rosa Elia Rodriguez, Santiago Rodriguez and the estate of Jose Luis Rodriguez filed a federal complaint on September 21 in the Eastern District of California against the County of Kern, Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Commander Mark Warren, Bill Walker, Burse Blank, Tina Marie Gonzales L.V.N., Deputy Laura Escobar and Does 1-10 for deprivation of civil rights, wrongful death and other claims.
On January 31, 2019, his parents brought him to the Kern County Medical Center after witnessing him talking to himself and pulling chunks of hair from his head.
On April 30, 2019, he told his court-provided mental health provider that he had tried to hang himself the week before, but that the rope had not been strong enough to hold his body weight, the suit says.
On Dec.31, 2019, following an arrest and placement in Lerdo Jail, he received a screening from Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, the County’s mental health provider, where staff noted that he had not been bathing, had a recent suicide attempt and was having suicidal ideation. Rodriguez was transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2020, and screened and diagnosed with unspecified psychosis, major depressive disorder, insomnia, and adjustment disorder, among others, the suit says.
He returned to Lerdo on August 19, 2020. Rodriguez was found hanging in his cell on Sept. 5, 2020.
Rosa Elia Rodriguez and Santiago Rodriguez seek general, compensatory, special, exemplary and punitive damages, cost of suit and attorney's fees. The Rodriguezes are represented by Kevin J. LaHue.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California case number 1:21-cv-01405-DAD-BAM