Family of late Forestville man seeks answers after cop Taser shock

The death of Branch Wroth after being shocked with a Taser stun gun by Rohnert Park police Friday afternoon has already sparked a courtroom battle over the autopsy of the 41-year-old Forestville resident.

On Monday, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum ordered the Sonoma County coroner to make video and audio recordings of Wroth’s autopsy over the protests of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which is charged with investigating the incident.

“We’ve never heard of a judge ordering an autopsy be videotaped,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Spencer Crum said Tuesday. “It’s unheard of.”

Attorneys for the Wroth family requested an emergency injunction Monday morning to stop the autopsy.

According to police accounts, Wroth was shocked by a Taser an unknown number of times after he become combative with two Rohnert Park police officers at a motel. The names of the officers, who were put on paid administrative leave, are being withheld, Crum said.

The family requested Dr. A. Jay Chapman, an independent forensic pathologist, be present at the autopsy. The request drew the ire of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s and the Sheriff’s offices, said Izaak Schwaiger and Rachel Wilber, attorneys for Wroth’s family.

“The cause of death is important, and when someone is electrocuted you can’t put those pieces back together again after the first autopsy,” Schwaiger said. “A (second) autopsy is useless in this case. That’s why we wanted to get involved as soon as possible.”

Schwaiger is happy with the court’s decision but said a video recording won’t be as good as having an independent set of eyes in the room during the autopsy. The postmortem examination will take place today, Crum said.

“We don’t know what happened with the death,” Schwaiger said. “What we’re trying to do is preserve the evidence.”

Branch Wroth was the older brother of Esa Wroth, who settled a $1.25 million police brutality lawsuit with Sonoma County last year. Esa Wroth claimed to have been beaten and shocked 23 times with a Taser in 2013 while in custody for drunk driving at the Sonoma County Jail. He was represented by Schwaiger in the case.

The incident with Branch Wroth started when a security guard at the Budget Inn on the 6200 block of Redwood Drive reported a man “acting strangely” around ?3:15 p.m. Friday, according to Rohnert Park Public Safety. When police arrived, they found Wroth under the influence of drugs. Wroth claimed to have been poisoned by chemicals, according to police.

Wroth had an outstanding arrest warrant and became combative after initially agreeing to let Rohnert Park police put him in handcuffs, Crum said Tuesday.

A “physical altercation” ensued after Wroth attempted to jump out a window, according to Crum. An officer then shocked Wroth with a Taser an undisclosed number of times to subdue him. The 41-year-old construction worker became unresponsive. Officers tried to resuscitate Wroth, according to police.

“All we really know at this time is that he didn’t need to die,” Wilber said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203.