Latest news with #NevadaDepartmentofCorrections
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Washington Post
Family disputes official account of Nevada inmate's death, alleging excessive force and a cover-up
LAS VEGAS — The family of a Nevada inmate who died in custody after he was pepper-sprayed, shackled and restrained is disputing the official account of his death in a coroner's report while also accusing prison staff of excessive force and destroying video evidence. A lawsuit filed this week in Clark County District Court says Patrick Odale wasn't acting erratically and 'growling' at officers, as the coroner's report states, but was suffering from an asthma attack when he approached prison guards in December 2023 at Southern Desert Correctional Center, a mostly medium-security facility near Las Vegas. Instead of helping Odale, the lawsuit alleges, officers pepper-sprayed and beat him and restrained him with his face to the ground. The 39-year-old was pronounced dead soon after. The lawsuit alleges the Nevada Department of Corrections and its director, the prison warden, correctional officers and other prison staff engaged in a broad conspiracy that it says sought to cover up the extent of Odale's injuries and the officers' use of force. 'Patrick endured a prolonged and painful death,' the lawsuit says. It also names the medical examiner who performed Odale's autopsy and authored the coroner's report, saying the report downplayed Odale's injuries while overstating the role that drugs found in his system played in his death, which was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner's office. The county said it doesn't comment on pending litigation. The Associated Press sent emailed requests for comment Wednesday to the state Department of Corrections and its director, James Dzurenda. The coroner's report, which was finalized in August 2024, said Odale died of ' positional and mechanical asphyxia in the setting of law enforcement restraint.' But it also said he had low levels of methamphetamine and an animal sedative in his system, and that the drugs were a 'major contributor' in his death. The lawsuit raises questions about the medical examiner's decision to list the drugs as contributing to his death, but not Odale's other injuries. Autopsy photos included in the lawsuit show purple bruises across Odale's shoulders and upper back, as well as on his wrists, arms and lips. The coroner's report describes the injuries as 'minor blunt force trauma,' while the lawsuit says they were 'critical injuries.' Odale, a father of two, was sentenced in early 2023 to up to two years in prison for possessing a stolen credit card and attempting to carry a concealed weapon, court records show. He died weeks before he was set to be released from custody. 'We were counting down the days. Instead of welcoming him home, we mourned his death and had no chance to say goodbye,' his 15-year-old daughter said in a statement provided by Return Strong, a group advocating for people who are incarcerated. According to the coroner's report, officers said Odale was 'erratic and growling' at them on the night of his death, leading them to pepper-spray him and put him in a storage room with yard tools for several minutes until he began 'thrashing the room.' Then officers pulled him to the ground, restrained him and took him to the prison infirmary, the report says. But the lawsuit claims that other inmates who witnessed the incident reported hearing Odale begging for medical staff and saying he couldn't breathe. The inmates, according to the lawsuit, also reported seeing guards smash Odale's head into a steel door frame after pulling him out of the storage room. Some of the altercation was captured on security video, the coroner's report shows, but it also indicates that there may be a gap in the footage. The footage, as described by the autopsy report, shows Odale groaning as he is taken to the infirmary. He is face-down with his hands shackled behind his back. Then, the autopsy says, 'after a gap, video coverage resumes,' showing prison staff performing CPR on an unresponsive Odale. 'When the video resumes, the inmate is face-up with hands shackled anteriorly,' the medical examiner wrote, meaning that his hands were no longer shackled behind him but were in front of his body. The state Department of Corrections has not released any of the video to Odale's family or the law firm representing them, said James Urrutia, their lawyer. Urrutia is also representing the family of another inmate, Christian Walker, who died after he was beaten by guards at High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. Their ongoing lawsuit disputes the coroner's report in that case and accuses prison staff of trying to cover up the death. Walker's face was swollen and smeared with blood when he died in custody in April 2023, according to an unredacted copy of his autopsy obtained by the AP. He also suffered head trauma and other injuries to his torso, neck and extremities. The medical examiner in Walker's case concluded it was a natural death caused by heart problems.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Associated Press
Family disputes official account of Nevada inmate's death, alleging excessive force and a cover-up
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The family of a Nevada inmate who died in custody after he was pepper-sprayed, shackled and restrained is disputing the official account of his death in a coroner's report while also accusing prison staff of excessive force and destroying video evidence. A lawsuit filed this week in Clark County District Court says Patrick Odale wasn't acting erratically and 'growling' at officers, as the coroner's report states, but was suffering from an asthma attack when he approached prison guards in December 2023 at Southern Desert Correctional Center, a mostly medium-security facility near Las Vegas. Instead of helping Odale, the lawsuit alleges, officers pepper-sprayed and beat him and restrained him with his face to the ground. The 39-year-old was pronounced dead soon after. The lawsuit alleges the Nevada Department of Corrections and its director, the prison warden, correctional officers and other prison staff engaged in a broad conspiracy that it says sought to cover up the extent of Odale's injuries and the officers' use of force. 'Patrick endured a prolonged and painful death,' the lawsuit says. It also names the medical examiner who performed Odale's autopsy and authored the coroner's report, saying the report downplayed Odale's injuries while overstating the role that drugs found in his system played in his death, which was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner's office. The county said it doesn't comment on pending litigation. The Associated Press sent emailed requests for comment Wednesday to the state Department of Corrections and its director, James Dzurenda. The coroner's report, which was finalized in August 2024, said Odale died of ' positional and mechanical asphyxia in the setting of law enforcement restraint.' But it also said he had low levels of methamphetamine and an animal sedative in his system, and that the drugs were a 'major contributor' in his death. The lawsuit raises questions about the medical examiner's decision to list the drugs as contributing to his death, but not Odale's other injuries. Autopsy photos included in the lawsuit show purple bruises across Odale's shoulders and upper back, as well as on his wrists, arms and lips. The coroner's report describes the injuries as 'minor blunt force trauma,' while the lawsuit says they were 'critical injuries.' Odale, a father of two, was sentenced in early 2023 to up to two years in prison for possessing a stolen credit card and attempting to carry a concealed weapon, court records show. He died weeks before he was set to be released from custody. 'We were counting down the days. Instead of welcoming him home, we mourned his death and had no chance to say goodbye,' his 15-year-old daughter said in a statement provided by Return Strong, a group advocating for people who are incarcerated. According to the coroner's report, officers said Odale was 'erratic and growling' at them on the night of his death, leading them to pepper-spray him and put him in a storage room with yard tools for several minutes until he began 'thrashing the room.' Then officers pulled him to the ground, restrained him and took him to the prison infirmary, the report says. But the lawsuit claims that other inmates who witnessed the incident reported hearing Odale begging for medical staff and saying he couldn't breathe. The inmates, according to the lawsuit, also reported seeing guards smash Odale's head into a steel door frame after pulling him out of the storage room. Some of the altercation was captured on security video, the coroner's report shows, but it also indicates that there may be a gap in the footage. The footage, as described by the autopsy report, shows Odale groaning as he is taken to the infirmary. He is face-down with his hands shackled behind his back. Then, the autopsy says, 'after a gap, video coverage resumes,' showing prison staff performing CPR on an unresponsive Odale. 'When the video resumes, the inmate is face-up with hands shackled anteriorly,' the medical examiner wrote, meaning that his hands were no longer shackled behind him but were in front of his body. The state Department of Corrections has not released any of the video to Odale's family or the law firm representing them, said James Urrutia, their lawyer. Urrutia is also representing the family of another inmate, Christian Walker, who died after he was beaten by guards at High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. Their ongoing lawsuit disputes the coroner's report in that case and accuses prison staff of trying to cover up the death. Walker's face was swollen and smeared with blood when he died in custody in April 2023, according to an unredacted copy of his autopsy obtained by the AP. He also suffered head trauma and other injuries to his torso, neck and extremities. The medical examiner in Walker's case concluded it was a natural death caused by heart problems.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lombardo vetoes trans protections bills, in contrast to previous session
Transgender rights activists and supporters participate in the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City. (Photo by) Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed two bills this week that would have enshrined a shield law for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care and ensured protections for transgender people incarcerated at local jails. The vetoes come as President Donald Trump, who Lombardo supported in the election, has escalated attacks against the LGBTQ+ community in the first few months of his second term and issued several anti-trans orders, including one that blocked federal support for gender-affirming medical care to patients younger than 19. The governor 'turned his back on LGBTQ+ Nevadans and their families—vetoing two critical protections just days into Pride Month,' Silver State Equality State Director André Wade said in a statement. 'These bills would have provided critical protections to transgender people seeking healthcare and their medical providers, as well as to transgender people in our criminal justice system.' To the surprise of many LGBTQ organizers, Lombardo in 2023 signed legislation that prevented insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the basis of gender identity and required the Nevada Department of Corrections to adopt regulations to protect trans and gender-nonconforming people in prison. The move at the time made him an outlier among Republican governors and legislatures, which have supported and passed bills targeting the trans and queer community. Gender-affirming care is supported by a variety of health providers and medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. But it has been a high-profile target, and several states, including Utah, have banned it. Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall has said prohibiting gender-affirming care will 'not only harm transgender individuals but create a climate of fear and uncertainty for health care providers who offer gender-affirming health care services.' Nevada law doesn't restrict medically necessary gender-affirming care, but many LGBTQ advocates and medical providers, including pediatricians, worried bans in other states could prevent trans youth from seeking care and doctors from providing it in Nevada. Ohrenschall brought legislation in 2023 that sought to enact a shield law for medical providers in Nevada but Lombardo vetoed the bill. With Senate Bill 171, Ohrenschall used the same language from the 2023 bill to yet again try to bolster protections for medical providers who offer gender-affirming care. It would have prevented a medical licensing board from punishing or disqualifying providers. The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly in party line votes. 'This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they need—and that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation,' Wade said. 'Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governor's decision puts all of that at risk.' In his veto message, Lombardo wrote that the bill 'would lead to complicated legal battles and uncertainty about what laws providers must follow' and put medical 'licensing boards in the awkward position of navigating potentially conflicting mandates in federal and state law.' The message was similar to his 2023 veto. The second trans bill vetoed by Lombardo, Senate Bill 141 would have required local detention facilities to develop policies that address the custody, housing, medical and mental health treatment of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people incarcerated. Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible, who sponsored the bill, said during its hearing it was similar to legislation she brought in 2023 that required prisons to enact similar policies for trans people who were incarcerated. Lombardo signed that bill. All 15 Assembly Republicans joined Democrats to unanimously pass SB 141, but the Senate voted along party lines. In his veto message Lombardo acknowledged that he did 'which authorized the Director of the Department of Corrections to implement similar policies through regulation with Board of Prison Commissioners' approval.' 'Federal authority in this space is potentially evolving and, if altered, could conflict with the provisions of this bill leading to decreased state and local access to vital federal funding,' he wrote.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge Reportedly Claims 'Teen Mom 2' Alum Will Eventually 'Kill Someone'
Judge Reportedly Claims 'Teen Mom 2' Alum Will Eventually 'Kill Someone' originally appeared on Parade. Teen Mom 2 alum Nathan Griffith will serve up to four years in prison after allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend, a violent act that violated his probation — which he was on for allegedly strangling his sister years earlier. Jenelle Evans' ex — with whom she shares 10-year-old son Kaiser — will serve a "maximum of 48 [months] with a minimum parole eligibility of 14 months in the Nevada Department of Corrections," according to the sentence filing obtained by The Sun on Thursday, May 29. Griffith reportedly received 11 days already served. According to an eyewitness in court, the judge told Griffith: "You are a danger to others and you're going to kill someone.'" Griffith allegedly sobbed as the sentence was handed down. Per multiple outlets, the former Marine pleaded guilty to the felony charge of "Battery Constituting Domestic Violence- Strangulation" in the alleged April assault of Biddle, 21. Per The Sun, Biddle was in court at Griffith's sentencing, as was his estranged, but still legal, wife, May Oyola — who recently shared an Instagram photo of a large bouquet of flowers from Griffith, signed "Your Husband." Griffith's sister, who accused him of strangling her in 2023, was also in court. Though Evans was not present in the courtroom, she caught major heat from Teen Mom fans after defending Griffith on TikTok following the altercation with Biddle. At the time, she claimed that Griffith and Biddle were both at fault, and offered her ex stay at her house — specifically, in Kaiser's room. (Evans previously claimed that Griffith hadn't seen his son in two years.) Evans' estranged husband, David Eason, has his own strangulation charge against him. He was charged with felony 'Assault by Strangulation" after allegedly strangling Evans' 15-year-old son Jace. Eason has denied the claims. In addition to Jace and Nathan, Evans is also mom to 8-year-old daughter Ensley, whom she shares with Eason. If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, help is available 24 hours a day through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit their website. Judge Reportedly Claims 'Teen Mom 2' Alum Will Eventually 'Kill Someone' first appeared on Parade on May 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Nevada could soon charge DUI drivers who kill with second-degree murder
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A proposal to toughen Nevada's DUI laws could lead to murder charges for an intoxicated driver who kills, according to the bill's sponsor. Senate Bill 304 would amend the state's vehicular homicide law to include all DUIs involving death, its sponsor, Republican State Sen. Jeff Stone, of Clark County, told a legislative committee Thursday. The bill was stuck in a finance committee because the Nevada Department of Corrections estimates it will add more than $2 million to its budget due to the additional time offenders could serve in custody. Stone's original proposal would have amended the law to lower the previous number of DUI convictions a person needed on their record for prosecutors to charge a driver with vehicular homicide. Under the proposal, on Thursday, prosecutors would be able to charge any DUI driver who kills with vehicular homicide. The proposal would carry a possible sentence of 10 to 25 years or 10 to life, the same as the state's second-degree murder statute, said John Jones with the Nevada District Attorneys Association. 'It is the position of DAs across the state that getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and proximately causing the death of another person meets this threshold,' Jones said Thursday. Nevada prosecutors, including the Clark County District Attorney's Office, have tried to charge DUI drivers who kill a person and who speed and who drive with no care for another person's life, with murder, but the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled the DUI with death law is more appropriate. Should the bill pass, Nevada would have a clear distinction between vehicular homicide and DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, Jones and Stone said. A second proposal, Senate Bill 457, which is part of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's crime bill, would also amend the law to charge DUI drivers who kill with second-degree murder. Representatives for Senate and Assembly Democrats previously told 8 News Now that both proposals remain under consideration. The legislative session ends June 2. Lawmakers will not reconvene, except for special circumstances at the request of the governor, until February 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
