The grand jury is concerned about the death of an Adams County inmate

Adams County jail officers failed to follow sheriff’s office best practices and policies when they restrained a handcuffed inmate who was experiencing a medical emergency face down on a stretcher before he died, according to a report by the 17th Judicial District grand jury released Thursday.

The grand jury did not return charges in the death of 38-year-old Arthur Roybal, who suffered a medical emergency in his cell on the morning of Dec. 24, 2022, according to a report released by the district attorney’s office.

Jurors found “no individual person responsible” for causing Roybal’s death, the report said. The Adams County coroner’s office ruled Roybal’s death a homicide and found that he died of acute methamphetamine poisoning with “prolonged restraint in the prone position” as a contributing factor.

The grand jury disagreed with that assessment, finding that the coroner’s office used only video and not physical evidence to determine that restraint was a factor in Roybal’s death.

But jurors said they were concerned about officers putting Roybal at risk of asphyxiation by holding him face down on a stretcher for 15 minutes while he was handcuffed.

Prison officers first responded to a strange noise in Roybal’s cell just before 7:30 a.m. and discovered he was having an “apparent psychotic episode,” the report said. They could not communicate with him because he exhibited ‘strange behavior’ and spoke nonsensically.

Officers pulled Roybal out of the cell, handcuffed his hands behind his back and carried him downstairs to a stretcher, where they placed him face down and strapped him across his back as he continued to scream and struggle.

According to the grand jury report, the sergeant on duty rejected other forms of restraint on Roybal that would have kept him upright.

Roybal spat blood and officers briefly placed a spit mask over his mouth. He had trouble breathing when he was moved to a part of the prison where he could be taken to a hospital. He stopped breathing at 7:47 a.m., 15 minutes after being strapped in.

Officers monitored his breathing during those 15 minutes, the grand jury found. When he stopped breathing, officers removed his handcuffs, turned him over, administered Narcan and began CPR. Roybal was later pronounced dead.

During the investigation, jurors interviewed a police expert who “questioned why a deputy or sergeant would suggest that Mr. Roybal be placed face down on the stretcher since that would necessarily increase the risk of injury or death” , the report said.

The expert told jurors there was “no valid reason” to use the stretcher when other restraints were available.

“The same individuals who appeared to be acting in Mr Roybal’s best interests (when he was removed from the cell) failed to apply generally accepted best practices when they restrained him face down on the stretcher, causing the risks associated with his medical condition increased. ,” the report said.

Adams County sheriff’s policy also stipulates that inmates may only be restrained face-up, the grand jury found.