Amid state scrutiny, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is facing a civil rights lawsuit from the family of an inmate who was found dead inside a cell.
Richard Matus, 29, is one of 18 inmates who died at the county’s detention centers last year, which according to the state attorney general, is the highest number of deaths in decades.
“My son, he was a good man. He had two children. He loved his kids, he loved his family,” Lisa Matus said.
Her son was found dead inside his cell at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center from a drug overdose in August of last year. Lisa Matus said Richard Matus died on her granddaughter’s first day of school; she had to break the news to her when she came home.
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At the time, jail records show, Richard Matus was in pretrial custody on felony charges including robbery and attempted murder with malice.
Seven inmates died at the same detention center last year. It’s unclear how they died, but Rochard Matus’ family believes some – if not all – should still be alive today.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a civil rights investigation into the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in February. He said the investigation is focused on whether the sheriff’s department has “engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.”
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Sheriff Chad Bianco immediately responded, calling the investigation a frivolous political stunt and a waste of resources. “Had the attorney general or anyone else from DOJ [Department of Justice] reached out with questions or concern, we could have provided more than enough evidence to prove these allegations false. He failed to do that,” Bianco said of Bonta.
In regard to the Matus family lawsuit, a sheriff’s department spokesperson said it does not comment on pending litigation.
In their lawsuit, attorneys for the Matus family claim corrections officers are failing to watch inmates correctly under the Title 15 welfare and safety checks code.
Richard Matus' mother said that if officers had found her son earlier, he may still be alive today, which is why she is taking legal action.
“He's not going to die in vain and neither are these other people,” Lisa Matus said.
