OAKLAND, California – Alameda County’s acting district attorney charged nine sheriff’s deputies and two medical staff on Tuesday in the death of an Oakland man who languished in his Santa Rita jail cell days before anyone noticed he was dead.

Court records show all the deputies and medical staff were charged with felony adult abuse and neglect and three of the 11 were also charged with forgery, also a felony.

Deputies Donall Chauncy Rowe, Thomas Mowrer, Ross Burruel, Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Andre Gaston, Troy Hershel White, Syear Osmani, Mateusz Laszuk and Christopher Haendel, as well as Wellpath Nurse David Everett Donoho and Drs. Alameda County Behavioral Health Forensic Neal Edwards were all charged with dependent adult abuse and neglect.

Hayer, White and Osmani were also charged with falsifying documents.

The charges stem from the death of Maurice Monk on November 15, 2021.

KTVU first reported Monk’s conditions death after obtaining exclusive body camera video footage inside the jail that shows no one physically checked on the 45-year-old man, who is seen lying half-naked on his bed, for at least three days, possibly four .

And when deputies finally found Monk’s body, stacks of uneaten food trays and pills lay strewn across the floor next to an elongated pool of urine at the foot of his bed.

last year, Monk’s daughter and son earned $7 million – an unprecedented amount from the sheriff’s office.

In an email late Tuesday, Sgt. Roberto Morales said that of the nine deputies, seven are still active sworn personnel and were immediately placed on paid administrative leave. The other two no longer work there.

“Today is undoubtedly a difficult day and brings up a range of emotions and concerns,” Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez said in a statement. “The loss of any life, especially within the walls of Santa Rita Prison, is a tragedy we do not take lightly.”

Over the weekend, Sanchez told KTVU in an email that she was “deeply disappointed in District Attorney Price’s decision to file charges, as I do not believe they are warranted. I will continue to support our staff throughout this challenging process.”

Wellpath, the company that provides medical care to the prison, chose not to comment.

Monk’s sister, Elvira Monk of Oakland, was thrilled to hear the news.

She said her brother’s death was never about money.

“As long as they get charged and have to fight to keep their jobs, that’s all I wanted,” she said.

Monk’s other sister, Tiffany, shared similar sentiments.

“It’s about a person’s life being taken away. My niece and nephew no longer have their father,” said Tiffany Monk. “He just had a grandchild he’ll never meet. All because somebody didn’t do their job right. But yet (the officers are) still working, getting a check. Why?”

Ty Clarke, who co-represented the Monks in their civil case, said he was happy criminal charges had been laid.

But he stressed he wanted to see “this case fully litigated so that the horrible things that happened to Mr Monk can be brought to light”.

The timing of the charges comes three days before the statute of limitations expires, as the three-year anniversary of Monk’s death is on Friday.

The time of the accusations also comes a week later Price was removed from her post as part of a historic effort to recall her.

It is unknown at this time if her successor will move forward with the case.

Price campaigned on a progressive platform to not overcriminalize black and brown youth and men, and to hold police accountable for their actions.

This is not the first time she has been accused by law enforcement in her short tenure.

Most recently, Price charged three Alameda police officers with manslaughter in the 2021 death of Mario Gonzalez.

But prosecutors missed the filing deadline last month as well, two of the officers’ cases were dismissed; a third officer still faces charges.

It’s been a long journey for Monk’s family, who said he should never have been in prison.

The security guard and ex Castlemont High and Sac State football player he was taken to jail in October 2021 after having a verbal altercation months earlier with an AC Transit bus driver during the pandemic for not wearing a mask. The monk suffers from schizoaffective disorder.

Elvira Monk had repeatedly tried to get her brother the medication, but was denied due to bureaucratic red tape.

When deputies finally opened the door to Monk’s cell and entered, they realized he had been left on his bed so still that the red “Alameda County” print on the front of his T-shirt his release from prison stained his chest. , mixing with fluids that had drained from his body, according to an internal sheriff’s report.

After a month in custody at Santa Rita Prison, Monk was officially pronounced dead from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

But deputies’ accounts and a review of more than 150 body camera videos obtained through a civil lawsuit reveal Monk was likely dead, or dying, days before.

Clarke, civil rights attorney Adante Pointer and staff at Lawyers for the People spent months poring over body camera video to piece together what happened.

Their efforts revealed that deputies and medical staff were seen throwing food and pills through the slats of Monk’s cell door, but did not enter the room to physically see why Monk was not eating or drinking.

And while the medical examiner ruled that 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 given proper medical care.

As part of the civil suit, the sheriff promised to make changes at Santa Rita Jail, including mandating more meaningful welfare checks and giving deputies electronic cards to reduce falsification of log checks.

KTVU reporter Jana Katsuyama contributed to this report.

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