Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 04/07/2009

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Terry Menshek - (707) 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Brady

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

NO CRIMINAL LIABILITY IN JAIL SUICIDE

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that no criminal liability exists on the part of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, its employees, or any other person in connection with the April 18, 2008, hanging death of Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility inmate Leobardo Medina Pacheco.

On April 18, 2009, Leobardo Medina Pacheco was found hanging from his jail bunk at approximately 1610 hours.  He was hanging from a small bed sheet attached to the rail of the top bunk.  He was provided immediate life support and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that evening.  The Sheriff invoked the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Fatal Incident Protocol.  According to the Protocol, the District Attorney’s Office participated in the joint investigation with the Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Investigation unit.

Leobardo Medina Pacheco was born in Mexico on February 12, 1969.  He was married to Anai Figueroa.  They lived with their two daughters at 278 Beech Avenue in Santa Rosa.  On November 17, 2007, a home invasion robbery took place at the residence on Beech Avenue.  Three people entered the home to steal approximately three hundred pounds of marijuana and a large amount of money.  Mr. Pacheco armed himself with a firearm and exchanged fire with one of the intruders, killing him.  The Santa Rosa Police Department arrived and arrested Mr. Pacheco and others in the home for processing and selling marijuana.  Mr. Pacheco admitted his involvement in a large-scale outdoor marijuana operation north of Laytonville.

Mr. Pacheco was taken to Memorial Hospital to recover from his gunshot wounds.  He was later taken to the Sonoma County main Adult Detention Facility.  Over the ensuing five months he was housed at various times in the Infirmary Module, Mental Health Unit, and Safety Cell, depending on his needs and in response to various suicidal statements.

On April 17, 2008, Mr. Pacheco was sentenced for his involvement with the marijuana at the Beech Avenue residence.  His sentence included formal probation and nine months in the county jail.  Given that he had already served a substantial amount of time in jail, the sentence actually imposed an additional forty days in jail.  He was subject to an “ICE” (Immigration Customs Enforcement) hold, which would cause him to be deported upon his release from jail.

On the date of his death, Mr. Pacheco was housed in the Infirmary Module.  He had been seen by a Mental Health Psychiatrist and showed no signs of self injurious behavior or suicidal tendencies that would have required moving him to an observation cell.  A correctional officer found Mr. Pacheco in his cell during a routine “module round.”  This officer had previously checked on Mr. Pacheco nine minutes, twenty-five seconds prior to this check and found nothing unusual about Mr. Pacheco’s condition at that time.  As he entered the cell he noticed that Mr. Pacheco had a bed sheet tied around his neck and that he was hanging from the cell bunk.  The officer immediately radioed for assistance and began to lift Mr. Pacheco to relieve the pressure on his neck.  Other first aid was provided, including CPR, and Sonoma Life Support was immediately dispatched.  Mr. Pacheco was transported to the hospital and placed on life support.  Mr. Pacheco’s family decided to discontinue life support on April 21, 2008.

A close review of all individual interviews with jail staff, the jail policies and procedures manual and the jail logs indicates that all parties acted in a reasonable fashion to execute their duties. Their actions did not create a high risk of death or of great bodily injury, nor does it appear that they acted in a reckless way.  Based on the totality of the facts, there is no evidence to support the filing of any criminal charges in connection with this suicide.