Criminal charges pending at Santa Rita Jail. Death of Maurice Monk: Memo, Sister

OAKLAND, Calif. – Criminal charges are pending against several officers and possibly medical personnel in connection with the death of an Oakland man who languished in his cell at the Santa Rita Jail nearly three years ago, according to a sheriff's memo and an interview with the man's sister.

Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez wrote to her staff that District Attorney Pamela Price, who was officially removed Friday evening, will charge seven “actively sworn” deputies in the November 2021 death of Maurice Monk.

According to an internal memo obtained by KTVU on Saturday, Sanchez said those deputies, who were not named, have all been notified and will receive assistance.

“I must admit that mistakes were made in dealing with Mr Monk; however, these errors do not rise to the level of criminal negligence,” Sanchez wrote in her memo. “I am very disappointed with Price’s decision to press charges in this case as I believe it is unwarranted. I will continue to support our employees in this challenging process.”

Sanchez also implored her staff that “the health and safety of the people in our custody must be paramount in our daily operations. These efforts require each of us to be diligent and remember our core principles.”

The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to KTVU for comment, but told the East Bay Times that no one had been arrested as of Friday. The East Bay Times was first to report the pending charges.

No one from the public prosecutor's office responded on Saturday.

Most crimes have a statute of limitations of three years. Neither Sanchez nor Price's office said what charges would be filed.

But Monk's sister, Elivra Monk, told KTVU on Saturday that she was told by two prosecutors in a Zoom meeting on Friday that the crimes would be classified as felonies.

What was confusing, however, was that Elvira Monk said she was told by prosecutors that nine, not seven, deputies, as well as a doctor and a nurse from Wellpath, would be charged.

Three of the eleven would also be charged with forgery, said Elvira Monk.

She said she had been told the charges would be filed on Friday, but there was no immediate way to verify this because the names of the defendants had not been released.

KTVU was unable to immediately clarify the discrepancies.

KTVU first reported the circumstances of Monk's death last October after obtaining exclusive prison body camera video that showed no one had physically examined the 45-year-old man lying half-naked on his bunk for at least three days, possibly four. And when officers finally found Monk's body, stacks of trays filled with uneaten food and pills lay scattered on the floor, next to an oblong puddle of urine at the foot of his bed.

Monk, an occasional guard, lay motionless in his bunk for so long that the red “Alameda County” print on the front of his jail-issued T-shirt had stained his chest and mixed with fluids from his, according to an internal sheriff's report Body slightly worn out. An autopsy photo shows multiple bedsores on his legs.

Monk was sent to jail after getting into a verbal argument with an AC Transit bus driver for not wearing his mask and then missing a court date during the pandemic. Monk suffers from schizoaffective disorder.

After a month of confinement in the Santa Rita prison, Monk was officially declared dead on November 15, 2021 because he suffered from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

But deputies' accounts and a review of more than 150 body camera videos obtained as part of a civil lawsuit show that Monk was likely dead or dying several days earlier.

And while the coroner ruled he died of natural causes, Monk's case underscores what so many advocates have been saying for years: People incarcerated at Santa Rita Prison are not being provided appropriate medical care and their grievances are not being treated in a humane or constitutional manner treated wisely.

Elvira Monk attended Friday's hearing called by the district attorney's office with Monk's daughter Nia'Amore, one of Monk's two children who shared an unprecedented $7 million settlement awarded by the sheriff's office as a result of his death had paid.

Elivra Monk said the money was helpful because Nia'Amore had a baby of her own and Monk's son Kyse is now in college.

“But it was never about the money,” said Elvira Monk. “This was about holding individuals accountable for doing their jobs. That’s what I fought for.”

Adante Pointer, who represented the family in their civil case, said he was glad criminal charges were being filed. But he said he was dismayed by the sheriff's comments that her deputies' conduct did not rise to the level of criminal negligence.

“At what point do you say, 'Enough is enough?' Pointer asked rhetorically, “Someone died. Isn’t this the worst case of negligence?”

How the case will actually progress is not yet known at this point.

Due to the recall, Price will have to vacate her seat and it is unclear whether her successor will continue to pursue the case.

“This could easily be dismissed by the next person,” Pointer said.

Lisa Fernandez is a reporter for KTVU. Email Lisa at [email protected] or call her at 510-874-0139. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez