County of Sonoma and Sheriff Sanctioned Over Video of In-Custody Suicide

istock_102121_courtroom
istock_102121_courtroom

A federal judge is sanctioning Sonoma County and its Sheriff’s Office following the destruction of video that captured an in-custody suicide. Nino Bosco committed suicide in jail in 2019. A federal judge has ruled jail officials deliberately failed to preserve critical footage of his death. Because of the sanctions, the county’s actions will now be described to a jury during a trial connected with a lawsuit against the county. A court order says members of the Sheriff’s Office allowed the 14 minutes of video footage to be lost. Jury members will be told to presume county officials did so with intent, and because the footage cast the county in a negative light.