The parents of a man who died while in custody at the Vista jail have filed a lawsuit alleging he should have been placed in housing designated for mentally ill detainees, but was instead placed in solitary confinement for the final two weeks of his life.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Diego federal court alleges Corey Michael Dean’s mental health issues were known to jail medical staff, yet he was not provided adequate medication or psychiatric care while housed at the Vista Detention Facility.
Due to the alleged lack of care, Dean “decompensated and became erratic and unpredictable,” according to the lawsuit, which states that deputies placed him in solitary confinement after he began “screaming, crying and acting bizarrely.”
Medical and mental health providers observed that Dean was engaging in bizarre behavior and required assistance for basic self-care and social skills, the lawsuit states. Other inmates housed nearby reported that he “screamed, cried and begged for help and medical assistance” and was pushing the cell’s intercom button daily for help, yet was ignored.
Dean, 43, allegedly told deputies he was sick and told inmates he was urinating on himself to stay warm.
(PHOTO: KGTV)