Former Santa Ana Jail employee facing felony charges for altering jail records after an inmate suicide

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Santa Ana corrections officer has been charged with several felonies for falsifying jail logs to cover up the fact that he failed to perform required safety checks on inmate who committed suicide while in the jail. An internal investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department following the inmate’s suicide revealed the discrepancies between the jail logs and the safety checks that video surveillance confirmed were never performed.

Esteban Gonzalez, 39, of Chino, is charged with three felony counts of altering public documents while working at the Santa Ana Detention Facility in 2021. He faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in state prison if convicted of all charges.

On June 25, 2021, Correctional Officer Gonzalez was responsible for overseeing inmates in Santa Ana Jail’s Module 4C. Video surveillance shows another correctional officer performing an inmate safety check on inmate Darryle Samuel at 9:31 a.m. before ending her shift and leaving Module 4C under the responsibility of Gonzalez.

According to video surveillance, Gonzalez did not conduct subsequent safety checks until the inmates were released for lunch around 10:50 AM. Samuel did not report to lunch. Module 4C inmates finished lunch and returned to their cells around 11:13am with several inmate workers left behind to clean up and vacuum.

At about 11:18 a.m., an inmate worker discovered Samuel hanging from a bedsheet in his cell and called Gonzalez for help. Gonzalez and three other officers attempted lifesaving measures while waiting for paramedics from the Orange County Fire Authority to arrive. While firefighters performed lifesaving measures, Gonzalez is seen performing inmate safety checks and then returning to the computerized jail logs and altering them.

In the Santa Ana Police Department computerized jail logs, Gonzalez documented that he performed inmate safety checks at 10:16 a.m., and 10:18 a.m. in contradiction with video surveillance which showed no safety checks were performed at those times. These safety checks and a purported check at 10:50 a.m. at the start of lunch were noted as “code 4” for “all clear” with the 10:50 a.m. safety check also coded “no refusals” despite the fact that Samuel never reported for lunch and was likely dead at that time.

The internal investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department revealed that while firefighters were trying to revive Samuel, Gonzalez deleted his previously inputted 10:50 a.m. safety check entry designating “code 4” and “no refusals.”

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office reviews all custodial deaths in Orange County to determine if the law enforcement agency is criminally liable for the death with the exception of the Huntington Beach Police Department, which contracts with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

On July 27, 2022, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office issued its legal conclusions regarding the custodial death of Samuel which determined that while the inmate’s suicide was intentional after finding out that his girlfriend was pregnant by another man a few hours prior there was not any evidence that could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone was criminally liable for Samuel’s death.

As a result of a review of the jail logs, criminal charges were filed against Gonzalez for falsifying those records.

“Inmates depend on correctional officers for every aspect of their safety and well-being and in this case Correctional Officer Gonzalez failed to carry out that most basic duty,” said Orange District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The callousness involved in desperately try to alter the jail log while paramedics were trying to revive Mr. Darryle is unconscionable. This is a betrayal of trust given to correctional officers and we will continue to hold law enforcement officers accountable to the fullest extent of the law when they break the law.”

Samuel was arrested on Nov. 20, 2019 on suspicion of committing several armed robberies between early October and Nov. 19, in both Los Angeles and Orange counties.

On May 24, 2021, the United States Marshals Service transferred Samuel into the Santa Ana Detention Facility (“SADF”). During the intake process, a NaphCare Charge registered nurse completed a mental health screening on Samuel. During the screening, Samuel disclosed he was bipolar and had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) in 2013. Samuel denied ever planning, preparing, or attempting to take his life. SADF housed Samuel by himself in Module 4C, Cell 17 (“C17”). The registered nurse referred Samuel to mental health for evaluation.

On June 13, 2021, Samuel met with a psychiatric registered nurse. Samuel told her he was bipolar and schizophrenic and suffered from PTSD and depression. Samuel told the psychiatric nurse he had previously taken mental health medications, but he did not like them. He refused the psychiatric nurse’s suggestion he take the mental health medications again. Samuel revealed that in 2012, he attempted suicide by drug overdose, but he denied any current suicidal ideations.

On Friday, June 25, 2021, the day of his death, Samuel made four separate phone calls to his longtime girlfriend, starting at 7:16 a.m., and ending at 9:08 am.

The first call to his girlfriend was at 7:16 a.m. Samuel told her he was hurt and upset with his girlfriend because he believed she was pregnant with “another man’s baby.” Samuel told her he wanted to die. Samuel specifically stated he wanted to kill himself. Samuel demanded his girlfriend tell him who the baby’s father was; his girlfriend refused and kept referring to the unborn child as “God’s Child.”

The second call to his girlfriend occurred at 7:50 a.m. that same morning. During that call, she admitted to Samuel she had sexual relations with another man. Samuel told her he hated her and hated the world. Samuel accused his girlfriend of cheating on him four different times. He then followed up with the statement, “If I die and kill myself, I will haunt you for the rest of your life!”

The third phone call to his girlfriend occurred at 8:18 a.m., that same morning. Samuel again accused his girlfriend of serial infidelity. Samuel stated, “I’m going to kill myself… you’re going to have the next man’s baby! My life is destroyed! You destroyed me! …You’re not going to get this unless I kill myself… I have a point to prove to you. I am going to prove that point…because you take me as a joke! …I need help, I need help, I am going to lose my mind. I hate your guts, you are Satan himself!”

The fourth phone call to his girlfriend occurred at 8:51 a.m., that same morning. Samuel persisted in asking the identify of his girlfriend’s sexual partner. After berating his girlfriend, Samuel stated, “I’m through with life. You must think I’m playing. Today is my last day on this earth. I’m through. My brain can’t take it, my heart can’t take it. I can’t take it…the one person I truly loved and gave everything I had, fucked me over… fucked me over the hard way… you ruined my family!”

After talking with his girlfriend on the phone, Samuel got in line to receive and take his medication. As he walked back to his cell, he stopped by a group of inmates watching.television. He watched television for a short time and talked with the other inmates. On the video footage from SADF, Samuel is seen laughing with the inmates. He reached his cell at approximately 9:15 a.m., where he remained until he was found by an inmate worker at 11:18 a.m.

At 9:15 a.m., all inmates in Module 4C were sent back to their cells with their doors shut and the module was secured. At 9:31 a.m., just 16 minutes after Samuel entered his cell, Correctional Officer Talone is seen on video completing a safety check on Samuel’s cell. Correctional Officer Talone looked into the window of Samuel’s cell and walked away1. A review of the Module 4C safety check log indicated that SADF correctional officers did not conduct any safety checks on any inmate between 9:32 a.m. and 11:18 a.m.

At 11:18 a.m., an inmate worker, who was cleaning Module 4C, discovered Samuel hanging by a sheet in his cell. As the inmate worker wiped the door handle to Samuel’s cell, C17, he looked through the door window and saw Samuel hanging from a bedsheet by his neck. The inmate worker pulled on the door handle and the door opened. The inmate worker then called out to Santa Ana Correctional Officer Esteban Gonzalez who was on the floor below.

An inmate, hearing the inmate worker yelling, left his cell and ran over to the inmate worker standing outside C17. The inmate looked inside and saw Samuel hanging from a shelf by a sheet cover wrapped around his neck. The inmate did not enter the cell; rather, he returned to his own cell as instructed by correctional officers. The inmate did notice that Samuel looked blue. As the inmate returned to his own cell, he made motions to his neck which were visible on the camera footage.

Correctional Officer Gonzalez was first on scene and rendered aid to Samuel. Correctional Officer Zavala arrived shortly thereafter. Three other correctional officers arrived at C17 and assisted in giving aid. Because SADF correctional officers did not provide a statement, it is unknown which correctional officer moved Samuel’s body from the hanging position to where Samuel was later located by medical personnel.

A licensed vocational nurse (“LVN”) arrived and entered C17 shortly after the correctional officers, entered C17. When she arrived, she saw Samuel supine on the floor wit11 his head to the right of the toilet, on the left-hand side of the cell, and his feet extending out towards the opposite wall, on the right-hand side of the cell. Based on her observations, it is clear the correctional officers moved Samuel’s body from the position where he was hanging to the floor of the cell.

Samuel was described by various inmates as being a happy guy. Multiple inmates said that Samuel had recently learned of his birth parents’ names and was getting in touch with them. Samuel was excited about the prospect of talking with them. Other inmates described him as being a depressed and angry person in the days leading up to his death. Inmates heard him yelling at someone on the phone on multiple occasions. Inmates believed he was talking to his wife or girlfriend.

Samuel claimed to have PTSD and depression. None of these claims were officially verified prior to Samuel’s death. Levetiracetam was found in his system after his death. Levetiracetam has multiple side effects, including exacerbating depression. 2 Given the short period of time Samuel was in custody at SADF, there is no data indicating whether Samuel experienced any side effects of taking Levetiracetam. Samuel claimed to have attempted suicide in 2012, but denied any current suicidal ideations.

Deputy District Attorney Deborah Einhorn of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.