Tased Inmate Dies: Third time in five months for this kind of death at jail
In the latest incident, deputies used a Taser on Alton Warren Ham, 45, of Oklahoma after he started “fighting” with them, according to a sheriff’s news release issued Friday morning.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ham on Tuesday night in Hughson on suspicion of home invasion robbery. It was unclear what Oklahoma city Ham was from.
On Wednesday, the deputies were trying to move Ham to a cell for his safety because he had “exhibited irrational behavior and was combative,” according to the news release. Ham stood 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds.
Sheriff’s officials declined to release some details.
“Some of the details we don’t have because this is still under investigation,” Sheriff’s Capt. Tim Beck said. “I don’t know how many people (the detectives) still have to interview.”
Beck said he did not know where in the jail Ham was being held when the jail staff noticed he was acting strangely. But about 2 p.m., the deputies decided to move Ham to the safety cell, also known as a “sobering cell.”
Inmates are placed alone in the safety cell so they can’t harm themselves or other inmates. The cell has a door with a small window, and sheriff’s officials say the walls are not as hard as those of other cells. The cell has no bars.
As the deputies were moving Ham, “he started fighting,” according to the news release. When asked if Ham was punching or kicking the deputies, Beck said he could not release those details.
It was unclear how long the struggle with the jailers lasted. Beck, who is a sheriff’s spokesman, said Friday he didn’t have information about how many deputies were involved in the struggle, how many deputies used a Taser on Ham or how many times Ham was struck by Tasers.
Deputies then put Ham into the cell.
Beck said the deputies and medical staff stayed with Ham in the cell until he became unresponsive. Medical staff tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful. Ham was pronounced dead at the jail at 2:38 p.m., Beck said.
Enlarged heart found
Sheriff’s officials said an autopsy showed that Ham had an enlarged heart and coroner officials are awaiting toxicology results before they can determine a cause of death. Beck said it could be four to six weeks before the toxicology results are returned.
Ham was arrested about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday after he broke into a home in the 3000 block of Euclid Avenue in Hughson, Beck said.
An 84-year-old woman, who lives alone at the home, told deputies Ham first knocked on the front door and continued “banging on the door,” demanding to be let in because he was being chased by a group of Latino males, Beck said.
The woman refused and called 911, but Ham broke a front window and entered the house, Beck said.
Ham ransacked the home while the victim was still inside. The woman, who was not harmed, went outside and was met by deputies who were dispatched to the scene.
Deputies went inside and found Ham, who had a 4-inch cut on his arm and was bleeding profusely. Beck said Ham suffered the cut while breaking the window.
Source: The Modesto Bee
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