Lawsuit Alleges Inmate Died From Neglect, Excessive Force at Santa Clara County Jail

The mother of an inmate who died at the Santa Clara County Main Jail in September 2015 blames jail staff for failing to provide medical treatment and for inflicting excessive force on her son.

A civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Northern California stated, "After a  week of pain and unconscionable misery, Walter had died alone in his urine-covered cell, forsaken by the people who had care, custody and control of him."

Walter Roches, 32, died of sepsis from an untreated urinary tract infection and acute mania from an untreated mental illness, according to an autopsy report.

A 2016 KQED investigation found that an altercation with deputies likely exacerbated Roches' mania and accelerated his death.

Medical Examiner Michelle Jorden found that Roches was catatonic when guards tried to move him to the psychiatric ward the week before his death.

After he failed to follow their commands, guards shot the man with pepper spray and plastic bullets.

Responding to the allegations in an email, Sgt. Rich Glennon wrote, “Due to the pending litigation against the County of Santa Clara, the Sheriff’s Office is unable to provide comment on this matter.”

After Roches died, Sheriff Laurie Smith banned deputies from using plastic bullets on inmates and restricted how and when they can pepper spray mentally ill inmates.

Roches died just a month after Michael Tyree, a mentally ill inmate at the same jail, was found beaten to death in his cell. Three sheriff's deputies were convicted of his murder and are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3.