O.C. Deputy in a Coma After Knee Replacement

An award-winning Orange County sheriff’s deputy who went to the hospital for a routine knee replacement was on life support Sunday, a department spokesman said.

Deputy Bradley C. Warner, 46, slipped into a coma after he underwent left-knee replacement surgery Friday at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino. He was in extremely critical condition Sunday evening, Amormino said.

Warner, a 15-year veteran, hurt his knee during a 1995 incident when he wrestled a suspect to the ground, Amormino said. Warner had several previous operations on the knee, Amormino added.

A hospital spokeswoman declined comment on Warner. Amormino said sheriff’s officials are unsure why Warner slipped into a coma and that more tests would be conducted today.

Warner, a former Marine, has received several honors from the department for his work.

In 1995, he received a Medal for Lifesaving for helping resuscitate a heart-attack victim. In the same year, he was awarded a Medal of Courage for forcing a suspect to retreat and abandon his semi-automatic pistol during a gunfight.

“He is one of our best,” Amormino said.

His wife and two children, a 23-year-old son and a 19-year-old daughter, were with him at the hospital.