Deputies accused of excessive force in Sonoma Valley taser, baton incident

The Sheriff has also requested an independent criminal investigation into this incident, which began with a complaint call at about 10:30 a.m. when three deputies were sent to a home in Sonoma Valley regarding a potential domestic dispute after a neighbor called to report a loud argument.

When the officers arrived at the home a woman opened the front door. All three deputies entered the home. One deputy took the woman into a room to question her, and the other two deputies went to the back of the home looking for the woman’s husband, who was in a locked bedroom.

When the husband refused the deputy’s orders to come out, the primary deputy forced open the bedroom door, according to a Sheriff’s Office statement.

Once inside the bedroom, the husband was found lying on a bed. The deputy ordered the husband to stand up, but the man refused. The deputy grabbed the man’s arm and the man pulled away, stated Sgt. Spencer Crum.

The deputy deployed his Taser, but it had little effect, according to Sgt. Spencer Crum. When the man was able to sit up and pull the Taser wires out, the deputy then pulled out his baton and struck the man in the leg.

A second deputy then became involved in an effort to physically restrain the man on the bed, Crum said. The third deputy, who stayed behind to talk to the wife, came into the room to additional assistance, but the man was able to break free and run towards the bedroom door.

The primary deputy then swung his baton several times into the man’s back. The man went down to the ground and the struggle continued. The third deputy deployed his Taser which was effective, Sgt. Crum said, and the man was handcuffed.

The deputies then conducted the investigation for domestic violence and it was determined that it had only been a non-criminal domestic related argument.

The man was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He was then transported and booked into the Sonoma County Jail at 1:12 a.m. on charges of threatening an officer, resisting and obstructing an officer, and a battery on an officer. He was released on a $10,000 bail bond at about 2:30 2:36 that same morning.

On October 11, the District Attorney’s Office notified the Sheriff’s Office that they would not be filing criminal charges against the husband. This prompted an internal review of the incident which included reviewing the video from all the deputies’ body worn cameras. Sheriff’s Administration felt that the actions of the primary deputy were excessive for the circumstances and were in violation of our use of force policy.

“Our use of force policy specifically states that use of force by deputies must be reasonable and appropriate for every situation and in this case we felt this deputy’s use of force was excessive,” said Sgt. Crum.

“This deputy is no longer employed by our office,” he said.

The Santa Rosa Police Department, along with the District Attorney’s Office, is conducting the incident.

The Sheriff is deeply concerned over the incident that transpired, Sgt. Crum said, and will take prompt, firm, and appropriate actions in this matter.

“We have reached out to the victim in this case and offered our sincere apology,” Sgt. Crum said. “We also want to apologize to our community. This is an isolated incident that we are proactively addressing, and does not reflect the values of the Sheriff’s Office.