Orange County jail

The Orange County Sheriff's Department on Thursday launched an investigation into allegations that deputies beat nearly 50 inmates during a November disturbance at the Men's Central Jail. The probe was ordered hours after a Newport Beach attorney filed a $5 million claim alleging that deputies with batons and pepper spray hogtied and beat inmates.
Eight inmates and a few deputies were treated at Western Medical Center Hospital Anaheim. The inmates' injuries included broken bones, said attorney Jonathan Slipp, who filed the claim. It accuses deputies of assault, battery, medical neglect and violating civil rights.

Assistant Sheriff John "Rocky" Hewitt, who supervises the jail, said an internal investigation found no evidence of mistreatment, but a new investigation would be launched into the claim's allegations. Hewitt also denied that any inmates suffered broken bones. He said that deputies suffered sprains and one had a shoulder injury.
"That is a flat-out lie that any inmate was beat," he said. "I will investigate every accusation, and I will pursue false reports." Hewitt said inmates were rioting and had overflowed their toilets, causing the cells to flood. He said two lieutenants were called to supervise as deputies negotiated with inmates for an hour before entering cells.

Slipp said he has interviewed 23 inmates and, he said, all told of deputies in riot gear "systematically" beating them, cell by cell.
"What they did here was not reasonable and necessary (force), and had this happened in a Third World nation, we'd be pointing our fingers," Slipp said. The county has 45 days to act on the claim.



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