Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price appears set on filing criminal charges against seven Alameda County sheriff’s deputies in the death of Maurice Monk, who died in the Santa Rita Jail after languishing for days without care or direly-needed medication, according to a memo obtained by this newspaper.
Price called Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez on Friday afternoon and detailed her plans for the criminal charges, according to a memo that was subsequently sent by the sheriff to her staff. The memo, which was obtained by this newspaper, did not name any of the deputies or suggest what possible charges they could face.
The development comes just days after early ballot returns showed Price on the path to being the first district attorney in the county’s history to be recalled from office, with an unprecedented recall measure passing by a 2-to-1 margin as of Friday evening.
No arrests had been made as of early Friday evening, according to Sgt. Roberto Morales, a sheriff’s spokesman who confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
In her memo, Sanchez defended the deputies.
“I must acknowledge mistakes were made in our handling of Mr. Monk; however, those mistakes do not rise to the threshold of criminal negligence,” said Sanchez, in her memo. “I am very disappointed with Price’s decision to pursue charges in this case, as I believe they are not warranted. I will continue to support our staff through this challenging process.”
Price’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Monk, 45, was declared dead on Nov. 15, 2021, after being found face-down on a mattress in his cell next to a puddle of urine and uneaten food on the floor, according to a lawsuit filed by his family that resulted in a $7 million settlement with the county. His death became a flashpoint among activists seeking improved conditions in the jail, where scores of people have died over the past decade from drug overdoses, suicides and killings.
Monk had been booked into the Santa Rita Jail barely more than a month earlier, and had been held on $2,500 bail while facing a misdemeanor charge of threatening a bus driver. Police arrested him after an argument over whether he should wear a face mask on a bus, court records show.
Jail security footage later showed deputies repeatedly walking by his cell in the days before he was declared dead, with some wondering aloud “is (Monk) awake? Is he alive?,” according to the lawsuit. Even so, none of them stepped into his cell to check for themselves, the footage showed. At one point, a deputy kicked uneaten food from the door’s entryway before leaving without further action, the lawsuit said.
Monk’s family also claimed he went without direly needed medication for multiple medical conditions, including schizoaffective disorder. His sister, Elvira Monk, said she called the jail’s staff 10 to 15 times and begged them to ensure Monk got his medications, including a monthly injection often used to treat schizophrenia.
David Mastagni, the attorney for the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Alameda County, implored residents not to rush to judgment.
“Everybody’s entitled to due process,” Mastagni said. “Wait and see and let the truth surface. The truth always does surface.”
Check back for updates to this developing story.