BEND, OR -- The family of a man who died while in custody at the Deschutes County Jail, has amended the civil suit to include Sheriff Shane Nelson and the Lieutenant who was in charge that evening.
According to the Bend Bulletin, the $15 million lawsuit now alleges Nelson, who was jail commander at the time, and former Sheriff Larry Blanton failed to adequately discipline staff involved in the incident. It also claims Lt. Robert Trono should have scheduled a nurse to work the night Edwin Mays died of a drug overdose in December 2014.
Jail surveillance video shows deputies watching a football game and joking about Mays’ erratic behavior before he died. Sheriff Nelson told KBND News in May, "Yes, we lacked professionalism in that video. And, discipline arose out of that: two people were demoted and two other people were disciplined." He added, "A lot of changes came out of that investigation. We have the Alive-Lock wristband that measures oxygen levels; we went to 24 a day, 7-day a week nursing coverage. So, there are positives that come out of that."
Following an investigation, the Oregon Department of Justice found the deputies' actions did not warrant criminal charges.
