Sheriff's Office IDs Martinez Jail Inmate Who Died In Custody

MARTINEZ, CA — Authorities have identified the man who died while in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility as Leartis Johnson, 65. Johnson, who is from Antioch, was booked into jail in May of 2018 on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and robbery,
according to Jimmy Lee, spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

On Wednesday night, a sheriff's deputy working at the jail found Johnson unresponsive. Emergency workers rushed him to the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead.

Sheriff's officials said that Johnson's death appeared to be health-related.

Johnson's public defender, Stephanie Regular, said she had represented Johnson for many years and knew him well. He had been dealing with both physical and mental health issues.

Regular said Johnson had recently been returned to jail after spending time at a hospital. Regular was trying to get him back into the hospital when he died, she said in an interview Friday.

"I just don't see how they couldn't have seen how poorly he was doing," she said.

Regular said he shouldn't have been in jail in his condition.

Johnson had been found incompetent to stand trial, she said.

"I just hope that from this really tragic incident, there is a recognition that mentally ill people should not be in the jail, and more should be done to provide treatment as opposed to confinement," she said.

Sheriff's officials and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office are investigating Johnson's death.

Lee originally said Johnson was in jail on a murder charge, but apologized for the error after a local news outlet reported that was incorrect.

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By Bay City News Service