(KRON) — A criminal grand jury indicted three Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies for the death of Santa Rita Jail inmate Maurice Monk. The 45-year-old inmate was left deceased and face-down in his cell for three days before deputies working in the jail realized that Monk was no longer alive, according to attorneys for Monk’s family.
Deputies Thomas Mower, Donall Rowe, and Robinderpal Singh Hayer were indicted by the grand jury, and the trio appeared in an Oakland courtroom this week to face charges.
In November of 2021, attorneys say the inmate’s worsening mental and physical condition went ignored as nurses continued tossing paper cups with medications into his cell. All of Monk’s meals and medications remaining untouched, and the inmate never moved from his bed.
When five Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies finally unlocked and entered the cell, one asked, “Monk, how ya doing buddy?” body camera video shows. “Monk, Monk, Monk. Are you alright?” the deputy asks the lifeless inmate.
Monk was reportedly being held in Santa Rita Jail because, in October 2021, he refused to wear a mask on a public AC Transit bus, argued with the bus driver, and he had a warrant for missing a court date. The Oakland man couldn’t afford to post $2,500 bail, so he was held in custody…