Close to Home: Father of beaten jail inmate speaks out

When my son was handcuffed, thrown to the floor and then beaten and Tasered repeatedly for 28 minutes in the Sonoma County Jail, I never envisioned him getting a $1.25 million payout from the Board of Supervisors a couple of years later.

At the time, I did not understand Sonoma County politics. I didn't know about the firewalls.

In Sonoma County, what happened to my son, Esa Wroth, 28, what allegedly happened to county jail inmates during five hours of torture and beatings on May 28, what happened to Andy Lopez, what happened to Jeremiah Chass — the result is always the same. The violent behavior is soon justified, first by the policy of the sheriff and then by the actions of the district attorney. These justifications serve as a firewall, protecting law enforcement employees from any accountability or liability for their brutal and unnecessary violent behavior.

OK, we have criminal liability covered. But what about civil liability? Where is the firewall there?

The firewall there is the deep pockets of the taxpayers. The only thing the Board of Supervisors got from my son's $1.25 million settlement was his promise not to sue the individual correctional officers. So, you, the taxpayers, paid $1.25 million to protect five county employees from losing their homes to the man whom they handcuffed, brutally beat and Tasered. They did not lose their homes, and they did not lose their jobs. They were not disciplined, to my knowledge.

The sheriff, the district attorney, the Board of Supervisors — they all, in effect, approved of these violent actions by their failure to openly condemn them and hold the perpetrators accountable.

So we have a bizarre conundrum here in Sonoma County. Everywhere in the world, there is widespread agreement that it is an immoral and horribly violent crime to handcuff a person's hands behind him, and then beat and Taser him repeatedly. There is indisputable video evidence that this is what happened to my son. But Sonoma County does not agree with the rest of the world. At least not if the employee works for the sheriff.

The Esa Wroth beating is a violent crime and a severe human rights violation anywhere in the world — except, apparently, in beautiful Sonoma County.

We are different here. Though such behavior would land you or me in prison for years, it apparently is acceptable behavior for a correctional officer in our jail. We protect perpetrators with badges who commit these acts from both criminal and civil liability — whatever the cost.

The sheriff, the district attorney and the Board of Supervisors share the same political bed. They will never criticize law, policy or training. They will continue to protect the status quo. They will continue to provide these firewalls to prevent accountability.

Meanwhile, county taxpayers may want to email their supervisor and let him or her know how much they appreciate these big tax dollar payouts to protect a few employees from the natural consequences of their violent behavior.

There is much to appreciate. There are more lawsuits moving through the courts. More checks to be written.

The Board of Supervisors, in all its wisdom, will find money for the payouts, then refuse to pay in-home support workers even $15 an hour and refuse to sign a fair contract with SEIU Local 1021.

Yup, a bizarre conundrum.

Chris Wroth is a former 24-year employee of the Valley of the Moon Children's Home in Sonoma Valley. He lives in Forestville.