Lawsuit alleges man died while jailer slept

Inmate had been in detox, was placed under ‘constant watch’

A corrections officer was sleeping on the job around the time a Sandoval County inmate on medical watch was found unresponsive and covered in bile, according to a lawsuit filed last week.

The inmate, Steven Sanchez, died hours later at a local hospital.

His personal representative has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against Sandoval County and Southwest Correctional Medical Group seeking compensatory and punitive damages and legal costs.

According to the lawsuit, Sanchez was taken to a hospital after a wreck June 7, 2015, but was cleared by a doctor and booked into jail on charges of evading police and drug possession. Medical personnel at the jail reported that he might have suffered a concussion.

Sanchez said he used a gram of heroin each day and by the next morning was experiencing withdrawals and was moved to detox, the suit says. Early the morning of June 9, medical personnel were called after Sanchez was found vomiting and reported that he was unable to eat solid food. He was given medication, placed under “constant watch” and told to call security if he threw up again.

The next morning, the lawsuit alleges, Sanchez was found unconscious on his mattress, covered in bile. A medical employee reported that morning that an officer in Sanchez’s housing unit “looked to be sleeping.”

Sanchez was transported by ambulance to a local hospital soon after, and died later that day.

According to the lawsuit, an internal investigation into Sanchez’s death recommended that staff receive refresher training on protocol for documentation. It also recommended an investigation into allegations that the corrections officer was sleeping on the job, and suggested installing additional cameras showing the constant watch area.

A Sandoval County spokesman said the county’s policy is not to comment on pending lawsuits. SWCMG did not respond to Journal requests for comment.