MEDIA CONTACT:: Dan Stormer, Esq. Browse Fresno Bee obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. Find local obituary news for Fresno County, the Central Valley and California. The sheriffs office has turned over 13,000 pages of documents, nearly 1,000 photographs and several hours of video footage and audio recordings, according to the documents submitted last week. 5620, Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 . Officers put him in a cell with a psychotic inmate accused of rape who had refused to take medication and was beating his head against the walls. Purses, backpacks briefcases, cell phones and other personal effects will not be allowed into the secured areas of the facility. It is also possible to obtain inmate information over the phone by calling (888) 373-7011. . When more dangerous or mentally ill inmates strain the short-handed staff, every part of the jail deals with the consequences. We are dedicated as a team to provide the highest level of service to our population. The records dont detail whether Pacheco was the victims cellmate or what the motive was. By the time we had breakfast, seventy-five people were eating with two inches of human waste on the floor, one inmate said in a sworn affidavit. At the time of Herreras death, Pacheco was in the Fresno County Jail awaiting trial on the 2015 robbery and assault case. It is the mission of the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner's Office to provide excellence in public service through our uncompromising belief in dignity in . The Coroner's Office investigates deaths falling under the guidelines of the California Government Code 27491. In January 2018, Lorenzo Herrera, 19, Ernest Brock, 20, and Andre Erkins, 30, were booked into the Fresno County Jail. The jail staff failed to notice his worsening health until it was too late. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Fresno, California on facebook. Hes gonna die!. It is up to us to demand human rights and human treatment for inmates. Eleven inmates died in 2018 from untreated drug and alcohol withdrawal, suicide, medical negligence and murder. Several county jail systems, including Fresnos, were already under court orders for violating the constitutional rights of people in their cells. No updates popped up, until she saw that her son had been taken to a hospital. The sheriff is legally allowed to overcrowd the jail, but only to a point. FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno County sheriff's captain is under investigation for comments he made during a recent school assembly at a private Christian campus. The real estate market crash and recession dried up jail funding as tax revenues shriveled. A man has been charged, but detectives say theyre still trying to determine if there are additional suspects. That is the official version of events. As soon as someone walks in, theyre our responsibility, he said. OF .01 OR GREATER WHILE ON PROBATION FOR VC23152 OR VC23153, METAL KNUCKLES; MANUFACTURE,IMPORTATION,SALE OR POSSESSION, COMMITTING OR ATTEMPTING FELONY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, DIRK OR DAGGER: MANUFACTURE,IMPORTATION,SALE OR POSSESSION, CARRY A CONCEALED FIREARM - VEHICLE DRIVER, ENDANGERING/CAUSING/PERMITTING PHYSICAL/MENTAL INJURY TO CHILD, POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE W/FIREARM, FAIL ANNUAL UPDATE AS A TRANSIENT SEX OFFENDER, UNAUTHORIZED REMOVAL OF RECYCLABLE MATERIAL, DUI CAUSING INJURY/DEATH - UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL & DRUGS, SHORT BARRELED RIFLE/SHOTGUN;MANUFACTURE,IMPORTATION,SALE OR POSSESSION, ASSAULT ON OFFICER/FIREMAN WITH DEADLY WEAPON, ICE-U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF TEAR GAS OR TEAR GAS WEAPON BY FELON, N HULBERT AVE & W GETTYSBURG AVE, FRESNO, CA. The prolonged homicide investigation is but one of Mims challenges in managing the chaotic Fresno jail. We have official accounts for ProPublica on. I was incarcerated at Wayside Honor Rancho, aka Gladiator School, in a dormitory with 90 other inmates. Many sheriffs offices, which run nearly all jails in the state, have struggled to handle the influx mentally ill and high-risk inmates incarcerated for longer sentences than the jails have ever dealt with before. Sheriff Mims and the Board of Supervisors should be aware that L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca was convicted in March 2017 of obstructing an FBI investigation of similar abuses in L.A. County jails. Then he missed a court date. At booking, Herrera was assigned a cell in a Norteos gang pod. It will hold 200 fewer people, reflecting realignments goal of reform and downsizing. How to File Taxes for Free Without TurboTax, Barricaded Siblings Turn to TikTok While Defying Court Order to Return to Father They Say Abused Them, A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline, Colorado Lawmakers Consider Reforms to the Way Family Courts Handle Abuse Allegations, New Bill Could End Police Ticketing in Illinois Schools. For more information on modified visitation procedures, Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) Policy. 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. The legislation rerouted people convicted of nonviolent, nonsexual and nonserious crimes to serve sentences in county jails. He moved to Southern California to start over but failed to give his probation officer advance notice. The sheriff's office . The bunkmate told his mother, Jennifer Sanders, what he saw. Pacheco is due in court on Herreras murder Aug. 21. Self-identifying as a gang member is part of living in the Central Valley and being Hispanic, he said. The Fresno County Main Jail is located at: 1225 'M' Street. Anyone interested in interning at the Courthouse or volunteering to monitor cases should contact the Vanguard at info(at)davisvanguard(dot)org - please email info(at)davisvanguard(dot)org if you find inaccuracies in this report. PC: Fresno Sheriff. Accidental 5 . Yes, he had a gang history, an officer wrote on his intake form. Among the memorabilia adorning Mims office is the hard hat she wore Jan. 25, 2018, at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the departments new $110 million jail. Nobody wants to have to go through this sort of litigation. On February 19, 2021, the Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) launched the NEW COVID-19 Data Hub. document.getElementById('cloak5aba5b4c3f45a5c70aa7fe29b2b82d1d').innerHTML = ''; SHARE. (For example, yesterday can be changed to last week, and Portland, Ore. to Portland or here.), You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. ProPublica data reporter Lylla Younes contributed to this story. Dec. 16, 2020: California announced a backlog of about 12,000 cases from previous days. Feb. 24, 2021: Los Angeles County added many deaths from December and January after reviewing vital records. Groups and organizations wishing to schedule a tour may contact Jail staff at (559) 600-8726, Tuesday-Friday between the hours of 6:00 am and 4:30 pm. 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 . The sheriffs have been very indifferent to jail conditions, Specter said. 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 . (The bunkmate, now serving time in a state prison, requested his name not be used out of fear for his safety.). *** Please allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for completion. 1265 M Street Fresno, CA 93721 United States (559) 457-2000. They are human beings and deserve basic human rights. We have official accounts for ProPublica on. Thats more than in all the preceding year. The Fresno County Jail has a troubling distinction. Its okay to put our stories on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. By November, the county settled with inmates and agreed in a consent decree to cap the jail population. The problems are compounded because county jails were never meant to accommodate these different inmates with yearslong sentences. This is still the case. Ryan Gabrielson is a reporter for ProPublica covering health care. It requires Sheriff Mims to hire additional correctional officers, protect and provide services to inmates, ease overcrowding and provide adequate healthcare. You cant sell our material separately or syndicate it. I dont want to feel like youre afraid for me. The Fresno County Jail death toll illustrates how some counties have failed to institute reforms, keep up with federal court orders to improve conditions, and prioritize inmate well-being. Fresno County had four. Any website our stories appear on must include a prominent and effective way to contact you. But a cellmate said that doesnt tell the full story of Erkins final hours. Any person requesting a tour should be aware of the following: The Jail Division is proud of its facility operations, and the professionalism of the correctional staff assigned to maintain the care and custody of persons incarcerated in Fresno County. An officer pulled him over and ran his name. They are funding and presiding over an institution of death and torture. EOW: February 11, 2023. Don Spector, director of the Prison Law Office, said sheriffs have been very indifferent to jail conditions. He said that there has been a complete lack of action.. On Jan. 18, 2018, Erkins rolled through an intersection without stopping while driving Meza to work, with his children in the backseat. Some are serving yearslong sentences and others recently arrived and are awaiting their day in court. It is the mission of the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner's Office to provide excellence in public service through our uncompromising belief in dignity in death. Welcome to Fresno Superior Court's online Case Management and Information System. On Jan.17, 2018, Lorenzo Herrera called his parents, Carlos and Anna, to say he was OK but was under arrest. Erkins rarely talked with Meza about his probation violation. Climate Whiplash Is in Californias Future, Farmworkers in Tulare United to Confront Unfair Eviction. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. - A man convicted of brutally stabbing to death an elderly Lucerne resident in 1977 was denied parole again during a hearing this week. How long will my relative/friend be at the Coroner's Office? The county arrest warrants fresno. Copyright 2023 KFSN-TV. Additionally, the bureau is committed to the inmate's character development. The facility will replace a dilapidated 1947 jail annex, where female inmates are housed, that is dangerous and in disrepair. The names of people who have passed away are updated daily, and are provided by funeral homes from around the area. The phone at Carlos and Anna Herreras home rang about 7:45 p.m., and they were asked to come to the jail. The Board made no statements in response and asked no questions. For example, Orange Countys jail on average holds twice as many people as Fresno Countys, but it had just one inmate-on-inmate homicide the past seven years. i have alot of my friends who have died n there ther gangmembers but ,there not there humans with nno guidence .noones talks bout it ., my boyfriend is n there now n my brother was once also a gujinney pig for this fuckd up sysytem i keep fresno county n my prayers, 2023 Community Alliance | Privacy Policy. Don Specter, director of the Berkeley, California-based nonprofit Prison Law Office, whose litigation against the states prisons spurred the realignment effort, called conditions in most county jails a mess.. You cant republish our material wholesale, or automatically; you need to select stories to be republished individually. Many departures were retirements, replacing experienced officers with rookies. Four-year-old Joseph dealt with the loss of his father through grief counseling, Meza said. Pacheco broke into the backyard of a pregnant womans home in Fresno, forced her inside, choked her and then stole thousands of dollars before fleeing. Phone: (559) 600-3387 Fax: (559) 600-7691. You cant use our work to populate a website designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements. Fresno County SO said his co-worker's gun accidentally fired and shot him in the chest. Direct media inquiries can be made to Public Health Communication at (559) 259-1798 or (559) 974-2302. Stay informed on the latest information and get access to important details about your community. According to deputies, the death happened late Sunday night but no other specifics on the identity or cause have been released to the public. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office keeps records on inmates booked into county jails. Four correctional officers are expected to maintain order among some 200 inmates on the floor. The inmate population is supervised by over 350 Correctional . How long does it take to inhale a razor blade? she said. His mother, Tabatha Rankin, said her son loved hiking and fishing but hadnt figured out what to do with his life. Officers locked down the jail five minutes later. Get our investigations delivered to your inbox with the Big Story newsletter. Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). He got a death sentence, his parents say. Published: Jul. Total Line of Duty Deaths: 1,741. And then the next day was a whole different story.. FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Tina Gonzalez, a 26-year-old correctional officer from Fresno County Jail has been described as "depraved" by her boss. Lucas died Monday at the Special Investigations Unit. In 2015, the sheriffs office agreed to a second consent decree in another class-action lawsuit over jail conditions. Details emerged only in a trickle of court documents and sporadic interviews. Davis, CA 95617 Twenty-seven inmates died in custody at the Harris County Jail in 2022. 2200 Fresno Street, Fresno, Calif. 93721 | Records (559) 600-8400 | Non-Emergency Dispatch Line (559) 600-3111 Over the last few years the Fresno County Sheriffs Office has seen its jail population rise and fall for various reasons. In the seven years before realignment, 23 inmates died in jail custody, data from the California Department of Justice shows. Commentary: Growing Up Is Imperative, but Wont Solve Our Housing Problem, Enter the maximum amount you want to pay each month. She also said one of the most painful moments of her time in office was releasing inmates during the economic downturn. Learn how your comment data is processed. The District Attorney's Office has two (2) complete court days from the time the inmate has been arrested to file charges on new (P.C. For Collins, a silver music note filled with his remains travels with her in the car. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The man assaulted refused to press charges, jail staff wrote. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's OfficeHours after a gunman turned a California ballroom into a shooting gallery late Saturdaykilling 10 people and wounding 10 otherspolice said they discovered the escaped suspect in a white cargo van, dead of what was believed to be a self-inflicted . After losing two appeals, he is now on his way to federal prison with a three-year sentence. I have had the unfortunate experience of incarceration in a county jail. Inmates stayed in Fresno County 35 days, on average, in 2018. Many of them are nonviolent offenders, and some are probably innocent. It is up to us to hold Sheriff Mim accountable. Touring of the facility is a privilege, not a right Tours are given at the discretion of the Sheriff and Fresno County Jail has the right to refuse entrance to any person or group. Experts say apathy among the officials in charge has created a crisis. National Missing & Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), Liberty Veteran's Cemetery Burial Directory, Application for Indigent Cremation / Interment. The place was already crowded, and the place was already old, and the mission was already complex, and the budget was already not very good.. The young woman was sentenced to seven months in county jail as well and two-year probation was handed out to her for having sex with an inmate. While inside, Herrera spoke to his parents but never mentioned the violence. The Inmate Search can assist in the search and selection of the offender. Andre Erkins, 30, writhed in pain for hours before dying of previously undetected cardiac disease. Booking photos cannot be released after the individual is no longer in custody. Talk to Us. Ryan Gabrielson is a reporter for ProPublica covering health care. Instead of releasing prisoners early, the state stopped thousands of new arrivals from going to prison at all. Their cases . As the Herrera, Brock and Erkins cases illustrate, this can have a ripple effect throughout the jail. Without that dramatic change, there was a certain and unacceptable risk of continuing violations of the rights of sick and mentally ill prisoners, with the result that many more will die or needlessly suffer, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. 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. An officer opened the door hatch, pulled a launcher from his leg holster and instructed all inmates to stop fighting and to get down on the ground, according to incident reports. This application may no longer respond until reloaded. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Being a peace officer, Mims said, you know, you want to keep people locked up.. The sheriff is prohibited from having people sleep on the floor. Fresno, CA 93725 United States (559) 457-4810. 2023. Their cases kicked off a nightmarish year in a local jail where problems trace back to Californias sweeping 2011 prison downsizing and criminal justice reforms. Sign up for the Overcorrection newsletter to receive updates in this series as soon as they publish. It was the fourth life term for Jessie Aguilar, who is a member of the Calwa Varrios [] After the article appeared in the Fresno Bee, I attended a Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting and spoke to the five little kings about conditions in the jail. var addy5aba5b4c3f45a5c70aa7fe29b2b82d1d = 'Coroner' + '@'; Mims said this has been an unavoidable result of the reforms that now involve longer stays for challenging inmates. (To inquire about syndication or licensing opportunities, contact. In addition to the 11 Fresno County inmates, including Herrera, who died last year from drug and alcohol withdrawal, suicide, medical complications and murder, 13 others were beaten and hospitalized for multiple days, court records show. This should make Sheriff Margaret Mims and the five members of the county Board of Supervisors cringe, but apparently they do not care. Fresno Police Department. The 48-hour period in which Herrera, Brock and Erkins entered the Fresno County Jail illustrates the failures of county jails since the 2011 realignment. While the case last Sunday is not confirmed to have any connection to COVID-19, as there is very little information on the cause of death, it paints a harrowing picture: that the Fresno County Jail may have to face its community in the coming days due to the ongoing issues in reporting deaths, according to community members. La seleccion resultar en una visualizador de el sitio de informacion de presos donde puede ovservar informacion publico sobre el preso. But on Feb. 17, Erkins complained of not feeling well, according to his autopsy report. He was convicted and sentenced in July 2018 to 14 years in prison, court records show. E-mail Chair Nathan Magsig at District5@fresnocounty.ca.gov. Get our investigations delivered to your inbox with the Big Story newsletter. Perform a free Fresno County, CA public arrest records search, including current & recent arrests, arrest inquiries, warrants, reports, logs, and mugshots. Our Location: 1221 Fulton Street, 5th Floor. I will never forget the experience. As has . His lips were turning blue, but he told his bunkmate he had no previous medical problems. It also taught me that if you treat people like animals, they can become more antisocial and more prone to commit crimes when released. We strive to serve and protect the interests of the community by determining the cause, circumstances and manner of sudden or unexplained deaths that occur within our jurisdiction. VINE es un servicio por el cul vctimas del crimen pueden utilizar el telfono o el Internet para buscar informacin con respecto a el estado de la custodia de el ofensor y donde pueden registrarse para recibir llamadas telefnicas y notificacin por correo electrnico cuando la posicin de la custodia de el ofensor cambia. FRESNO, Calif. On the night of Jan. 17, 2018, Lorenzo Herrera walked into the Fresno County Jail booking area and sat down for an interview. 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. . 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. Hint: Registering for a FREE Local Crime News membership will give you more search results. Jail conditions rarely came up as Mims successfully campaigned for her fourth term last year. The number of people incarcerated has exceeded 3,000 for six of the past seven months, within a court-ordered population cap but more than any recent time. She hasnt faced an opponent since her first race in 2006. Tours of the Jail facilities are available on a scheduled basis. Sign up for the Overcorrection newsletter to receive updates in this series as soon as they publish. Our Mission. They had their first child, Joseph, in 2014, and Christiana was born in spring 2016. The trail of evidence led them to a . The evening before Herrera entered the jail, Ernest Brock, 20, was also arrested and booked pending trial. All participants are required to complete and sign an, Members of the group must dress in compliance with the. In January 2018, Lorenzo Herrera, 19, Ernest Brock, 20, and Andre Erkins, 30, were booked into the Fresno County Jail. What Do You Know About County Jails in California? Detectives were awaiting results from a DNA test of some evidence from the scene, according to a recent court filing. Since then, four have died at the hands of other inmates. In meetings with the sheriffs staff, they examine progress in correcting a jail that has become known for its record of violence and death. Tony Botti, a department spokesman, on Tuesday said doing so could jeopardize other leads we are looking into.. Juvenile Justice Court. The Jail is frequently a hostile, unpredictable and unpleasant environment. At least 18 correctional officers and staff from across the complex flooded into the pod. The Fresno County Sheriffs Office did not announce Pachecos arrest in the jailhouse slaying, as would be typical in high-profile or unsolved homicides. You cant state or imply that donations to your organization support ProPublicas work. These can include Fresno County death certificates, local and California State death registries, and the National Death Index. A few years ago, Mims said, an inmate hid a razor blade in his nasal cavity and cut his co-defendant in court. var addyc322882bb3c122834ca34f39ed082c03 = 'jon.alvarado' + '@'; Last Name (required): First Name: TIP: If you are unsure how the name is spelled, you can enter the partial spelling of the name followed by an asterisk (*), for example: smi*. For more information about canonical metadata, You cant edit our material, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. One was beaten into a coma. He promoted to Correctional Officer IV in August 2012. The main reason that people call 559-475-9491 is to find out if a particular person is in custody, although you can look up an inmate online by going here. Detention Programs and Services work collaboratively with community, other agencies, and stakeholders in pursuit of this mission. Who cares? When any part of the jail reaches full capacity, the sheriffs office must release inmates and limit new arrivals. Coroners Reports are provided when the investigation is completed. In 1969, the majority of the inmates were Black and Latino. About a month after that visit, on March 24, 2018, a correctional officer doing cell checks found Herrera dead on a cell bunk bed. To see if someone is in custody, check theInmate Information Center, or you may call (559) 475-9491. She won the top job four years earlier, advocating tough-on-crime policies and denouncing early inmate releases. In retrospect, Cate said he believes convicts sentenced to five years or more of incarceration should serve that time in prison, not the local jails. What was so important it couldnt wait? she wondered. One officer described it as the honor system. Cameras record common areas and can see who enters and exits specific cells, which are not video monitored. Erkins complained of a headache, then vomited and poured sweat, his bunkmate said in a phone interview. His father saw the image as a survival tactic. In 1993, county officials packed 20 people into a cell intended for 12, with inmates sprawled on mattresses between and beneath bunk beds. Pontotoc County Sheriff's Office, OK. EOW: February 19, 2023. Democratic Gov. Months before the toilets backed up, a convicted murderer raped and killed a man booked on drug charges. And according to a March court filing, they had been awaiting DNA test results from evidence. The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner's Office is now available via mobile app! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office maintains a NO HOSTAGE facility and will not consider bargaining with hostage takers for ANY reason. 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. These less affluent counties in Californias Central Valley watched inmate homicides triple. In the seven years before the 2011 realignment, 23 inmates died in jail custody, data from the California Department of Justice shows. Erkins was interacting with infirmary staff when he collapsed, after having seizure like activity, according to the report. Two-thirds of the people kept in the jail are awaiting trial, accused but not convicted. The average length of stay in 2011 was 16 days. When Erkins was released, he tried in his own way to get his life back on track. Captain Joe Smith spoke . Erkins was taken to medical staff some 30 minutes after the inmates alerted the correctional officer, according to Erkins bunkmate. The problem is particularly acute in places like Fresno, Kern and Merced counties, inland stretches of California, where deaths have surged disproportionately, a data analysis by McClatchy and ProPublica found. FRESNO, California (KWTX) - A judge this week sentenced Tina Gonzalez, 27, a former correctional officer with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, to . var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; If you wanted absolutely no assaults on inmates, no assaults on staff, no murders, no suicides you would almost have to have a [guard] assigned to every single inmate or continually have eyes on those inmates.. The number is (559) 600-8240. He did not look healthy at all. Fresno Countys jail system has been teeming with prisoners for decades.