Alameda Co. court approves charges against 9 deputies, 2 medical staff in 2021 in-custody death

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Nine sheriff's deputies and two medical employees are facing felony charges in connection with the 2021 in-custody death of a man at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

"I am here to officially confirm that the charges are now filed and are now pending," says Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.

The criminal charges were filed for the in-custody death of Maurice Monk at the Santa Rita Jail against seven current Alameda County Sheriff deputies, two former sheriff's deputies, and two Santa Rita Jail medical staff, including a doctor.

"I have kept the Alameda County Sheriff informed of the progress of the case, and will continue to do so regarding the charges filled, which were formally approved by the court, yesterday," says Price.

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Monk, who struggled with mental health issues, was arrested in October, 2021 for disorderly conduct after refusing to get off an AC Transit bus. He couldn't afford bail, so he spent over a month in Santa Rita.

Last year, Deputy DA Zachary Linowitz told ABC7 News that Monk was found unresponsive inside his jail cell and that he may have been dead for several days.

"It appears that he may have been dead upwards of 72 hours before he was finally observed by deputies," says Linowitz.

Price says her predecessor Nancy O'Malley opened an investigation, but that did not lead to any conclusive results. Linowitz says under his investigation the sheriff's department agreed to hand over police reports and jail logs.

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If convicted, each defendant faces up to four years in state prison. Three of the deputies are also charged with felony falsification of documents. They face a five-year sentence if convicted of both crimes.

"Having care and custody of Mr. Monk, willfully caused and permitted him to be placed in a situation where his health was in danger," Price read out while explaining the charges.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Department did not respond to request for comment about the current employment status of the deputies involved.

DA Price says the investigation is on-going and could produce additional charges.