By Sarah Burge
The Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Methamphetamine was the primary cause of the July 2009 death of a 27-year-old man who was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by deputies, according to a report from the Riverside County sheriff-coroner’s office.
Jonathan Michael Nelson, of Rancho Cucamonga, died July 30, 2009, after a struggle with deputies at the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley.
The coroner’s report lists “acute methamphetamine toxicity” as the primary cause of death but also cites a “prolonged confrontation with law enforcement,” heart disease and obesity as significant conditions.
Nelson was 6-foot-5-inches and weighed 400 pounds. He had a history of substance abuse, although his family believed he had quit using drugs, relatives said after his death.
Nelson’s family could not be reached for comment last week.
Sheriff’s Department use of Tasers was criticized in a June grand jury report that cited a case in which a deputy shocked the same person eight times in less than a minute. The report did not identify the person, nor did it give the date of the incident or say whether that person was injured.
Sheriff’s officials have declined to release that information until the department submits its formal response to the grand jury.
The grand jury report urged sheriff’s officials to evaluate their policies and training to ensure that Tasers are not being overused. After the report was released, sheriff’s officials said the department already has the kinds of policies and training procedures the grand jury recommended.
When and how Tasers are deployed has long been a point of controversy for law enforcement in general, particularly when the stun guns are used on people who are on drugs and disoriented.
TASER International says the weapons it makes are less than lethal and a valuable tool for police and that the vast majority of Taser deployments do not result in injury.
However, critics of Tasers such as the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that the effect of Tasers, especially on people under the influence of drugs, are not fully understood and that police should use them with greater caution.
Although Tasers have been named by Inland coroner’s offices as a contributing factor in deaths, they are not believed to ever have been cited as the primary factor, authorities have said.
The cause of death for another man who died last year following Taser shocks by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies has not been disclosed.
Terrace Clifton Smith, 52, of Moreno Valley, died in August 2009, but the sheriff-coroner’s office reports on his death have not been released.
Several shocks
Deputies first encountered Nelson with his dog at Paradise Valley Ranch on Cactus Valley Road in a rural area outside Hemet the evening of July 29.
At the time, sheriff’s officials said Nelson was behaving as if he had a mental problem or was under the influence of drugs.
Sheriff’s officials said Nelson tried to run but deputies tackled and shocked him twice with a Taser.
It took them about 15 minutes to get him into a patrol car, according to the coroner’s report.
Deputies took Nelson to Hemet Valley Medical Center for treatment of a small cut on his face and a medical evaluation to clear him for booking, the report said.
He was released from the hospital and booked into jail about 10 p.m. on suspicion of resisting an officer. There, he told a nurse that he had been “beat in the head with a billy club,” the report stated.
While a deputy was putting him in a holding room, he did not follow orders and tried to kick at the deputy, the report said. After a deputy shocked him with a Taser, Nelson complied.
About 3hours later, Nelson began to remove his clothing and bang his head on the window of the holding room door, the report said. Deputies moved him into a safety cell designed to deter inmates from harming themselves. As deputies were leaving the cell, Nelson, on all fours, grabbed at their legs, the report said.
According to the coroner’s report, deputies put Nelson in a “control hold” and stunned him about two times with the Taser in a mode that shoots out barbs attached to long wires and delivers a shock that momentarily incapacitates the target. Nelson was also shocked about four times with a Taser in “drive stun” mode - in which the Taser is held against the target’s skin. Drive stun shocks, while painful, do not incapacitate.
While handcuffing him, deputies noticed blood coming from Nelson’ face and put a “spit shield” over his head. Soon, they saw that Nelson was not breathing and called for medical aid. He went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly before 4 a.m. at a nearby hospital.
Copyright 2010 The Press Enterprise, Inc.