She signed her letter a concerned mother and citizen.. Now County Jails Are More Deadly. They miss their son, Amezcua said. The fates of Herrera, Brock and Erkins set the stage for the deadliest year in at least two decades at the jail, a sprawling complex of jam-packed cells, filled with inmates working their way through a clogged criminal justice system. Before the most recent events, it was reported that Fresno County has a history of mishandling health issues or concerns when it comes to incarcerated individuals. Jail staff began CPR, and an ambulance whisked him to a hospital five blocks away. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Stay informed on the latest information and get access to important details about your community. state prosecutions that end in convictions still wind up with little jail or prison time for the defendant. In the 66 days Herrera was in Fresno Countys custody, four people were so seriously injured in fights they required multiple-day hospital admissions, according to county records. Inmates stayed in Fresno County 35 days, on average, in 2018. You are are free to republish it so long as you do the following: Copy and paste the following into your page to republish: McClatchy and ProPublica detailed Herreras case, and the mystery surrounding it, in an April article, historic prison reforms, called realignment. This family still wants justice for their son and wants to make sure something like this never happens again, Alexis Amezcua, an attorney representing Herreras family in a lawsuit against the county, said in an interview Tuesday. Our Mission. This is still the case. That figure more than doubled to 47 deaths during the seven years after the state shifted more responsibility to the county jails. The feeling is different on the floor. PC: Fresno Sheriff. The Fresno County Jail made local, state, national and international news. While the public has yet to hear about the specifics of the incident, it is clear that there is growing disdain with the county in regard to inmate treatment, according to many comments on the original post, showing growing concerns over a lack of information and concerning trends. Hint: Registering for a FREE Local Crime News membership will give you more search results. Mims has expanded the jails force by roughly 100 officers, court records show, but adding staff has not gone smoothly. Though the killer was someone in custody, officials were silent about the investigation for much of the past year. And the consent decree required Mims to set some of them free. Note:A court day consists of the hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, not including court holidays. Erkins knew he was caught. FRESNO, CA During the early hours last Monday morning, it was reported on Fresnos local news channel, ABC30 Action News, that there was a death of an inmate inside the Fresno County Jail and that deputies are conducting an ongoing investigation. Thats when California officials approved realignment, sending people convicted of felonies that are nonviolent, nonsexual and nonserious to serve prison sentences in county jails rather than state prisons. In one incident, an inmate clogged his toilet with a sheet, causing other cells to overflow with waste when someone flushed. In May 2011, California lost its decadeslong legal fight on prison overcrowding. Email: [email protected]. His heart was slightly enlarged, and some of his arteries were 70% blocked. Yes, he had a gang history, an officer wrote on his intake form. For information on the VINELink in Fresno County, call 1-877-411-5588, or you can search for and register to receive notification about the custody status of an offender via VINELink at http://www.vinelink.com, VINE Contact Information for Fresno CountyPhone: 1-877-411-5588Website: http://www.vinelink.com. The suspect accused of killing a police officer this week in a small Fresno County community fired the deadly shots from a "ghost gun," untraceable firearms that have . The phone at Carlos and Anna Herreras home rang about 7:45 p.m., and they were asked to come to the jail. Crews helping residents stranded by snow in Mariposa County, Home catches fire in snow-covered neighborhood in North Fork, New shopping center unveiled in Northeast Fresno. Herrera survived the violent chaos of the Fresno County Jail for 66 days, including living through a brawl that left another inmate unconscious. Self-identifying as a gang member is part of living in the Central Valley and being Hispanic, he said. Any website our stories appear on must include a prominent and effective way to contact you. by Jason Pohl, The Sacramento Bee, and Ryan Gabrielson, ProPublica. When we exemplify those who represents balance, the arrest warrants for a county jail by providing us. I was incarcerated at Wayside Honor Rancho, aka Gladiator School, in a dormitory with 90 other inmates. Unfortunately those reasons are not always attributed to the rise and fall of the crime rate. All participants are required to complete and sign an, Members of the group must dress in compliance with the. The Sheriff's Office patrols more than 6,000 square miles of Central California with a diversity of terrain that varies from open farmlands to metropolitan areas to the rugged mountain peaks of over 11,000 feet. His father, Carlos Herrera, saw the image as a survival tactic and said self-identifying as a gang member is part of living in the Central Valley and being Hispanic. I dont want to feel like youre afraid for me. (To inquire about syndication or licensing opportunities, contact. How do I get information about someone who was arrested? I took that opportunity to go and tell him that I love him, that everythings going to be right, she said. Fresno County. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Erkins stayed home with the kids when Meza worked. This article was produced in partnership with The Sacramento Bee, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. In 1969, the majority of the inmates were Black and Latino. Fresno County's vital records include birth, death, marriage . In 1969, when I was 18 years old, I spent 100 days awaiting trial in the L.A. County jail for marijuana possession and another nonviolent offense. Since then, four have died at the hands of other inmates. For Collins, a silver music note filled with his remains travels with her in the car. He said his moniker was Rampage.. They had their first child, Joseph, in 2014, and Christiana was born in spring 2016. The Community Alliance is a monthly newspaper that has been published in Fresno, California, since 1996. We have official accounts for ProPublica on. An unconscious inmate was whisked to the hospital, and the pod was put on lockdown. FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at the Fresno County Jail. According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, the deputy who was killed in an accidental shooting on Monday has been identified as Sgt. The jail staff failed to notice his worsening health until it was too late. Pleasant Valley State Prison is actively recruiting the following positions: For information on Correctional Officer careers, please contact (559) 935-4965, Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm. As of As Sheriff of Fresno County it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Sheriffs Office web site. Investigators have interviewed every inmate in the pod at the time of his death, along with every officer on duty. For Mental Health careers, contact the Field Liaison Analyst at (559) 935-4900, ext. Others, the investigation shows, have viewed the changes as a burden. Jail Annex - Criminal Courts Departments 95 & 96. She traveled with President Donald Trump to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this month to advocate tougher federal enforcement. If youre republishing online, you must link to the URL of this story on propublica.org, include all of the links from our story, including our newsletter sign up language and link, and use our. PO Box 4715
Yet a third inmate arrived soon after Brock, booked for a five-year-old probation violation. You cant state or imply that donations to your organization support ProPublicas work. The county has denied all wrongdoing in its court filings. Learn how your comment data is processed. Fresno County SO said his co-worker's gun accidentally fired and shot him in the chest. When Erkins was released, he tried in his own way to get his life back on track. Being a peace officer, Mims said, you know, you want to keep people locked up. Mims should be asked, so let them die in an overcrowded jail then? He was pronounced dead about 25 minutes later. What was so important it couldnt wait? she wondered. Fresno County Sheriff's Office, California. If you share republished stories on social media, wed appreciate being tagged in your posts. He told me there was a guy in there and he was crazy and he needed his psych medicine, Rankin recalled. Susan Russo, who was convicted of arranging the 1994 murder of her husband, has died at 67. Lorenzo Herrera had no previous criminal history, according to court records. We accomplish our mission through the use of pathologists, consultants, and other methods of investigation. Fresno Police Department. The cellmate, then 26, refused to take it. How long will my relative/friend be at the Coroner's Office? Instead, they were led into a meeting room and offered a box of tissues. The inmate population is supervised by over 350 Correctional . Deijon Erkins called Meza, and she scolded him for interrupting her at the McDonalds where she worked. It has grown nearly every year since, according to data from the California Board of State and Community Corrections. Climate Whiplash Is in Californias Future, Farmworkers in Tulare United to Confront Unfair Eviction. Only one Fresno County inmate killed another in the seven years before realignment. The sheriffs office primarily released people charged with misdemeanors or serving sentences for low-level crimes. For example, a crude death rate of 20 for heroin overdoses would mean that there were 20 resident deaths from heroin overdose per 100,000 population for a given year . PA - Feb 18, 2023. Jail conditions rarely came up as Mims successfully campaigned for her fourth term last year. Do what a civilized human being would do. Police said Herrera pointed a gun at an officer before surrendering. Fresno, CA. You may also request a copy by sending your request in the mail to the: Fresno County Sheriff-Coroners Office at 3333 E. American Avenue, Ste. Office hours are Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 2:30 pm. Gonzalez worked as a correctional officer between 2016 . The jail classified Herrera as a gang member and assigned him to one of the pods for maximum security inmates. His father saw the image as a survival tactic. On April 28, 2019, the Fresno Bee published a front-page article about the Fresno County Jail. Then, on an afternoon in March, jail officers found him strangled. The bunkmate told his mother, Jennifer Sanders, what he saw. Herrera had no previous criminal history, according to court records. the Six Pillars of character as identified by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, are the core ethical values that form the foundation of the development and delivery of programs and services, and behavioral expectations of the inmate population. It is up to us to demand human rights and human treatment for inmates. No other jail in California has seen a sharper increase in inmate deaths than the Fresno County Jail, whose three buildings house more than 3,000 inmates, mostly in the concrete cube known as the Main Jail in downtown Fresno. Fentanyl overdoses are contributing to the rapid rise in overdose deaths in Fresno County in recent years. Twenty-seven inmates died in custody at the Harris County Jail in 2022. According to a fellow Davis Vanguard reporter, Ned Meiners, Without accurate data to rely on, it is impossible to understand the true scope of the pandemic in Californias jails, and how to best ensure the safety of those living there in the future.. Please contact. Inmates have some control over day-to-day life inside the pod. Around 4:30 pm on Tuesday, Fresno County Sheriff's dispatchers took a call regarding a person found to be lying on the side of the road near a grape vineyard. He was a married father of four. County jails also lack effective oversight, especially in monitoring the handling of difficult inmates. Correctional Officer Jay Miller. Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. Inmate Info (559) 600-8600or (559) 475-9491, North Annex Jail1265 M StreetFresno, CA 93721, South Annex Jail2280 Fresno StreetFresno, CA 93721. An intake photo showed Herrera holding a dry-erase board identifying himself as a Northerner from Reedley, a subsect of the Norteos street gang. In January 2018, Lorenzo Herrera, 19, Ernest Brock, 20, and Andre Erkins, 30, were booked into the Fresno County Jail. Its okay to put our stories on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. MEDIA CONTACT:: Dan Stormer, Esq. You are are free to republish it so long as you do the following: Copy and paste the following into your page to republish: Sign up for the Overcorrection newsletter, the state was ordered in 2011 by the U.S. Supreme Court, California lost its decadeslong legal fight, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. It taught me how racist the criminal justice system is. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Fresno, California on facebook. His mother, Tabatha Rankin, said her son loved hiking and fishing but hadnt figured out what to do with his life. Though running a jail is complicated work, inmate deaths should not be dismissed as inevitable, said Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle, speaking on behalf of the California State Sheriffs Association. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary (born September 3, 1988), also referred to as Kai, is a Canadian man who first became known from the internet viral video "Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker", which featured him recounting a crime he witnessed while hitchhiking.McGillvary subsequently received national attention in the press.