Inmate Death Is Target of Federal Probe

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the death of an 18-year-old retarded man who went into a coma following an asthma attack in County Jail downtown, federal officials said.

Two men who were jail inmates at the time have alleged that John Maes was assaulted by deputies after he moaned and begged for medical attention the night of Aug. 14.

An inmate on the floor where Maes was housed, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the San Diego Tribune that Maes was taken from his cell and slammed against a bench and wall after he moaned for help.

He was then taken to the first floor, handcuffed and visibly ill, the inmate said.

On the first floor, Maes was taken into a room and assaulted by as many as five deputies, according to Robert Bennett, another inmate who said he heard the beating through the door.

Maes was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center, where he died after two days in a coma.

Timothy Payne, an attorney for the Justice Department’s civil litigation division, opened the Maes probe Tuesday.

“We have gotten word of the matter, and we will be looking at the case,” Payne said from his Washington office.

He said witnesses will be interviewed and documents studied to determine the inmate’s condition. Treatment by jail and medical staff will be reviewed, he said. Payne would not discuss specifics of the investigation.

The focus of the probe is on civil rights violations, he said. But the case could be turned over to the FBI or the Justice Department’s criminal division if it is determined that criminal charges are warranted, Payne said.

The probe is part of a sweeping investigation of the San Diego County jail system begun in February after federal authorities received allegations of poor health care and inmate abuse.