4 deputies held as abuse of jail inmates alleged

The Alameda County Sheriff ’s Office arrested three of its own deputies and a former deputy in connection with the mistreatment of inmates at the Santa Rita Jail, officials said Thursday.

The arrests follow an investigation into allegations by jail staffers that deputies allowed an inmate to spray feces and urine at other inmates in the maximum-security unit of the jail.

Sheriff ’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said the inmate was participating in “gassing,” in which a person fills a bottle with bodily fluids and sprays them on someone else. There were multiple incidents of one inmate being allowed to do this to sever-

al victims, Kelly said.

Sheriff ’s investigators interviewed more than 40 people, including employees and inmates at Alameda County and other California state prisons after receiving the complaint in January.

Their findings showed that current deputies Sarah Krause, Justin Linn and Erik McDermott and former deputy Stephen Sarcos allowed the incidents in the summer and fall of 2016. Krause, Linn and McDermott were placed on administrative leave and Sarcos resigned following the investigation, authorities said.

All four were arrested Thursday afternoon. Linn and McDermott were arrested on suspicion of intimidation of a witness and assault under the color of authority. Krause and Sarcos were arrested on suspicion of assault under the color of authority for a single incident in fall 2016, according to the statement. Kelly said the department believes no other employees were involved.

Sheriff Gregory Ahern said in a statement he is “deeply disturbed and saddened” by the findings of the investigation, but he is proud of the employees who came forward with information.

The sheriff ’s office is continuing a project to install more 24/7 cameras in the jail facility. Kelly said the department’s officers hope the surveillance will cut out future misconduct.

“Moving forward, the department will be taking a proactive and aggressive approach to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said. Alison Graham is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: agraham@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @alisonkgraham