Las Colinas Deputy Resigns; Association With Inmate Cited

A deputy who was placed on administrative leave in late November after she became “associated with” a woman jail inmate who later committed suicide has resigned, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department reported.

In a related matter, the department said that detectives investigating an Oct. 30 burglary at the Spring Valley home of the former deputy, Carol Snyder, had determined that the dead inmate, Laura Beth Maki, was a suspect in the burglary. Sheryl Baker of Spring Valley was arrested Nov. 19 for investigation of possession of stolen property, which included law enforcement material that belonged to Snyder.

“Maki was a suspect in the burglary, and she was never formally charged because prior to that happening she committed suicide,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Rich Hendrickson said, adding that Baker and Maki had known each other.

A coroner’s report concluded that Maki, 24, of El Cajon, died of asphyxiation after she hanged herself using strips of cloth attached to a bunk bed frame at Las Colinas County Jail on Nov. 28. She was jailed after she was arrested by San Diego police on charges of probation violation, providing false information to a police officer and auto theft.

It was not determined when Snyder came to know Maki, but criminal records showed that Maki had been arrested in the past and had been placed at the women’s jail in Santee. Snyder, who resigned last week, had been placed on administrative leave prior to Maki’s death.

The leave became effective when the department began investigating charges that Snyder may have violated department policy by associating with an inmate. The policy states that deputies may not have “regular or continuous association or dealings with persons who may know or have reason to believe or have been racketeers, sexual offenders, gamblers, suspected felons, persons under criminal investigation or indictment or have a reputation in the community for present or past involvement in felonious or criminal behavior.”

The policy said there are exceptions when the deputy has a personal relationship or “when it’s necessary to the performance of official duties.”