SACRAMENTO, CA. – A fatal overdose at the Sacramento County Jail has sparked serious allegations of neglect and indifference by jail staff, according to reports from court-appointed monitors as reported by the New York Times.
The New York Times wrote David Kent Barefield, Sr., 55, a homeless man with a history of drug abuse, died after being left untreated for more than two hours, despite showing clear signs of distress, charging Barefield’s death was one of seven reported by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in 2024.
“Jail staff members claimed he was faking illness, and the Sheriff’s Office told the California Department of Justice that his death was from natural causes,” according to the New York Times, adding an autopsy revealed Barefield had overdosed on methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“Review of these deaths showed serious system and individual performance issues, including inadequate emergency response, inadequate medical care prior to death, and, in one case, callous deliberate indifference to a man who was so obviously gravely ill,” the medical experts wrote the New York Times.
Details from jail footage, viewed by monitors but not publicly released, show Barefield struggling to sit, stand, or communicate coherently, but his condition was still dismissed, reports the Times.
After Barefield was placed in a restraining cart, the New York Times reported, “At around 2 a.m., the medical experts and lawyers said, a nurse cleared him to be held at the jail but failed to complete a medical screening and later falsified his intake papers.”
Later, when a deputy observed Barefield appearing unconscious, the nurse reportedly cleared him for jail…the nurse reportedly claimed that Barefield ‘s vital signs were “normal” and dismissively added, “He’s just old and homeless,” added the Times.
It wasn’t until 3:46 p.m. that deputies began performing chest compressions, by which time it was too late and Barefield was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later, the New York Times wrote.
“His relatives sued the county, the Sheriff’s Office, the City of Sacramento and its police department in December, claiming he was not provided medical treatment and seeking damages,” according to the Times.
Two nursing experts who reviewed the case emphasized the consequences for similar failures elsewhere, noting, said the New York Times, “In similar cases across the country, nurses who falsified medical records and jeopardized patient safety have lost their license and in some cases, were charged and convicted of felonies for patient endangerment.”
The Times said the nurse who allegedly faked the intake papers has been reported to the California Board of Registered Nursing and subsequently resigned.
The New York Times emphasized in its coverage the death has drawn strong criticism of Sacramento County’s jail system, with court-appointed monitors calling for immediate reforms, and stating, “The sheriff must take accountability for the apathy and callousness that pervades the jail. Sacramento County should demand decency for the people it incarcerates.”
