Hemet sex offender among trio of recent Riverside County inmate deaths – All ID’d
UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 16, 4:11 p.m., With additional details.
Originally Published: Wednesday, Sept. 15, 12:01 p.m.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif., — Officials today released the names of three inmates who died while in Riverside County custody within a three week time span from Aug. 18 through Sept. 12. Two of the in-custody deaths involved inmates being housed at the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside over a three day period, while the third occurred at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio about three weeks later.
In each case the inmates were found unresponsive within their cells during the overnight hours. Although all three deaths remain under investigation, officials have said no foul play is suspected in any of the cases, which are all being handled as standard, in-custody death investigations.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Shooting at popular Murrieta sports park leads to swift arrest of one adult, two juveniles
New witness accounts, CHP report released, after local man dies in Aguanga motorcycle crash
Neighbor thwarts attempted kidnapping of 5-year-old San Jacinto child – Local man arrested
UPDATE: Murder victim found deceased in car parked near Perris Walmart ID’d
In a trio of releases from the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office today, officials identified Roy Chester Holman, 57, of Hemet, Randy Lee Rush, 40, of Riverside, and Jose Juan Gaytan, 40, of Thermal, as the men who recently passed away while in custody.
Based on superior court, jail, and other official records, along with other sources, RCNS has learned more about the three men and the incidents that led to their incarcerations.
The first inmate to pass away, Roy Chester Holman, 57, of Hemet, had been arrested by City of Hemet police officers on June 17th of this year. He was being held without bail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges of failing to register as a sex offender.
He passed away at the Robert Presley Detention Center Aug. 18 and a Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased at 4:37 a.m.
As reported by RCNS at the time, officials previously said deputies assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department-Robert Presley Detention Center were called to the cell of an unresponsive male inmate shortly before 4:30 a.m.
“Custody staff immediately responded to the cell, located the unresponsive male, and administered life-saving measures,” Riverside Sheriff’s Correctional Sergeant Deanna Pecoraro earlier reported; adding he was ultimately pronounced deceased by City of Riverside fire and rescue personnel.
Randy Lee Rush, 40, of Riverside, the second inmate to die at the facility just days later on Aug. 21, was arrested by deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station on Aug. 18th. He had been booked into the facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a stolen vehicle, and violation of probation. He passed away early Saturday morning and was pronounced deceased at 1:48 a.m.
According to an official release after Rush’s death, deputies working at the jail that morning were conducting a routine security check of a housing unit just after 1 a.m. when they spotted Rush unresponsive inside his cell.
“During the security check, jail staff discovered an unresponsive male inmate,” Pecoraro described; saying custody staff along with medical staff immediately entered the cell and began administering life-saving measures.
Although Cal Fire and American Medical Response (AMR) responded to the faciality and despite further medical intervention the inmate was pronounced deceased on scene, she explained.
SEE ORIGINAL RELATED STORIES:
Investigation continuing after Riverside County inmate death reported
“No signs of foul play” after second Riverside County inmate death this week
Officials say no foul play suspected after death of inmate at Indio jail
The third inmate to pass away while in custody was Jose Juan Gaytan, 40, of Thermal. He died on Sept. 12th, while being housed at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
Gaytan had been in custody the longest, having been arrested by deputies assigned to patrol the City of Coachella on Jan. 5th.
He was booked into the facility on nearly a dozen separate charges; including possession of narcotics for sales, possession of controlled substances, and second-degree robbery, as well as multiple prior felon and violation of parole enhancements.
Deputies assigned to the Indio jail were conducting a routine, hourly security check of a housing unit around 1:06 a.m. when they discovered an unresponsive male inmate in his cell, Riverside Sheriff’s Correctional Captain Martin Tochtrop had previously explained.
“Custody staff and jail medical staff immediately began to administer life-saving measures,” said Tochtrop; adding, “Fire personnel and American Medical Response (AMR) responded and continued further life- saving measures which were ultimately unsuccessful, and the inmate was pronounced deceased.”
After nearly 45 minutes of life-saving efforts failed to revive Gaytan, paramedics pronounced him deceased at 1:43 a.m.
Officials have declined to provide further details of the men’s deaths, saying the trio of coroner’s investigations remain active and ongoing.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
Pingback: “Complete and carefree silliness” abound during Whittier’s “lunchtime shenanigans” – Riverside County News Source
Pingback: Riverside man, 21, suspected in father’s brutal murder arrested after fleeing to OC in victim’s car – Riverside County News Source