7 Sonoma Co. Deputies On Leave After In-Custody Death

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Seven Sonoma County sheriff's deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the in-custody death of a Sonoma man is investigated. Roderic Bernard Cameron, 44, died Wednesday, March 28 after struggling with deputies as they tried to arrest him at Sonoma Oaks Mobile Home Park, according to the sheriff's office.

The deputies had responded at about 9:50 p.m. to the Ramon Street mobile home park in response to reports of a man who was walking down the street naked, yelling and smashing streetlights with his bare hands, Sonoma police Chief Bret Sackett said in a statement following the fatal incident.

Sackett said at the time that deputies used handcuffs, a Taser and maximum restraints in order to take the suspect into custody.

That suspect was later identified as Cameron, who lived at the mobile home park with his mother.

Cameron suffered medical distress during the incident and was taken to a hospital where he later died.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the seven deputies involved in the incident were:

— Deputy John Grohl, who has 17 years of law enforcement experience, including seven years at the Sonora Police Department as a field training officer and firearms instructor and 10 years at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor;

— Deputy Nick Deguilio, who has 10 years of experience, including four years at Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and six years at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as a field training officer, firearms instructor and SWAT team member;

— Deputy Taylor Brinkman, who has three years of experience, all with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office;

— Deputy Jeff Sherman, who has 10 and a half years of experience, all with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, including as a canine deputy;

— Deputy Aaron Hunt, who has four years of experience, all with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, including as a driving instructor and off-road motorcycle unit member;

— Deputy Don McCarthy, who has 12 years and eight months of experience, including 12 years at the Daly City Police Department as a field training officer and in the gang, narcotics and automobile theft units, and eight months at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office; and

— Deputy Lucas Dotta, five years and eight months of experience, including four and half years at the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and a year and two months at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies are on leave as the Santa Rosa Police Department investigates the death.

Santa Rosa police have said according to their preliminary findings, Cameron appeared to be in an altered state, was screaming irrational statements, was striking himself in the face and chest with his hands and refused to comply with deputies' instructions.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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