SAN DIEGO — Since 2006, more than 220 people have died inside San Diego County jails. In 2022, the state auditor issued a blistering report that found San Diego County Sheriff's Department "failed to prevent and respond to deaths" in county jails.
Less than four months into her first term, San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez sat down with CBS 8 to discuss the conditions inside county lock-ups and Sheriff Martinez's plans to turn the trend around.
"We've been working hard on improvements to our jails, and we still have much to do," Sheriff Martinez offered. "We do a better mental and medical health screening at intake. We're doing a voluntary urine screening at intake to understand what people have in their system when they enter our jails so we can start them on withdrawal protocols immediately. We check weekly or a couple of times a week to ensure they're eating, their cells are clean, and they're taking care of themselves or any mental or medical issues they have."
Martinez's interview comes one day after the county released the autopsy report of a man 46-year-old man who was found dead in his cell as he suffered from covid-19, malnourishment, and dehydration.
On March 17, 2022, Sheriff's Deputies at the San Diego Central Jail found 46-year-old Lonnie Rupard unresponsive in the bunk of his cell. Next to his bunk sat a tray of uneaten food with "insect larvae" in it, according to a newly released autopsy report.
According to a March 19, 2022 autopsy report, the San Diego County Medical Examiner listed Rupard's death as a homicide. The cause of death, according to the autopsy, was pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration.
At the time of his death, the Medical Examiner found that Rupard suffered from schizophrenia and was fighting covid-19 at the time of his death.
The Medical Examiner's Office found that although deputies inside the Central Jail delivered food and water to Rupard, they did not ensure he was properly cared for.
Read the report, "Records document that care was made available to the decedent in the form of meals, continuous in-cell water supply, prescription medications to treat his psychiatric illness, and medical evaluations; nevertheless, the ineffective delivery of that care ended with his death. While elements of self-neglect were present, this decedent ultimately depended upon others for his care; therefore, the manner of death is classified as a homicide."
According to the report, Rupard was homeless before his arrest in December 2021. In the three months of his incarceration, Rupard's mental condition often prevented mental health professionals from assessing Rupard. According to the report, his agitation toward nurses presented obstacles to long-term care.
According to the autopsy report, in January 2022, two months before his death, deputies used force on Rupard; however, the extent of the force used was not included in the report.
Martinez said her office would continue to look into the homicide. "They're going to look for evidence of that, and even if they don't find it, they're still going to submit their case to the district attorney for review and see if she sees any criminal negligence."