Ex-Sonoma County deputy’s manslaughter trial to begin in December

The jury trial of former Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy Charles Blount, charged with involuntary manslaughter after killing a man after a vehicle pursuit in 2019, will begin in December.

The trial should take about three weeks, prosecutor Bob Waner and Blount’s attorney, Harry Stern, agreed. Proceedings before Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo will begin with legal motions on Dec. 10, followed by jury selection and then testimony.

Blount, 62, is charged with killing David Ward, 52, on Nov. 27 two years ago during a traffic stop near Ward’s Bloomfield home that followed a brief vehicle chase along rural west county roads.

Blount’s criminal prosecution is the first of Sonoma County law enforcement officer in the death of someone being detained.

Jury selection and testimony in his trial will commence at a time when deadly police encounters are viewed with more skepticism than in the past, following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was sentenced to 22½ years in prison for Floyd’s death.

Video of that killing, during which Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground with his knee for nine minutes while he begged for air, led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations — including months of demonstrations throughout Sonoma County.

In Blount’s case, video from deputies’ body-worn cameras shows Blount wrapping his arm around Ward’s neck and bashing his head into the side of the 2003 Honda Civic Ward had been driving. Another deputy fired a Taser twice at Ward through an open window after he did not follow commands to get out of the car.

Ward fell unconscious while handcuffed, stopped breathing and died at the scene.

Blount, who worked for more than 19 years at the Sheriff's Office, faces up to six years in prison if convicted. He is charged with two felonies: involuntary manslaughter and assault by a public officer.

A month after Ward’s death, Sheriff Mark Essick began termination proceedings against Blount, but Blount retired before the process was complete. The other deputy involved, Jason Little, wasn’t charged. He was placed on standard paid administrative leave during the investigation and has returned to full duty.

In April, Sonoma County agreed to pay a record $3.8 million settlement to Ward’s family to resolve a civil lawsuit against the county and the two deputies.

If Blount is convicted of a felony, the county could move to terminate Blount’s Sheriff's Office pension.

Blount was arrested on Nov. 2, 2020, three days after a criminal grand jury returned a verdict to indict the veteran deputy. The rarely used secret judicial proceeding included testimony presented over seven days to a 19-member grand jury that included accounts from medical experts, the forensic pathologist who conducted Ward’s autopsy, a use-of-force expert hired by the District Attorney’s Office and nine local law enforcement officers.

Assistant Sheriff James Naugle testified that Blount made several tactical mistakes that escalated the level of danger to himself and others during the encounter.

The jurors deliberated for one day before returning their verdict to indict.

In a video his department released in late 2019 showing bodycam footage from the incident, Essick called Blount’s conduct “extremely troubling” and said “this one person does not reflect the culture of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.”

The Marin County Coroner’s Office, which conducted Ward’s autopsy, concluded that his death was directly caused by cardiorespiratory collapse, blunt impact injuries, neck restraint and the use of a Taser.

The coroner ruled the case a homicide, which does not imply liability but indicates that someone died at the hands of another person. Acute methamphetamine intoxication, chronic substance abuse and mental illness were listed as significant conditions that contributed to Ward’s death.

The deputies, who were investigating Ward’s earlier report that his car had been stolen by an armed man, did not know Ward had recovered the vehicle and was driving it when they tried to pull it over.

While Blount’s arrest and prosecution is the first involving a death, other law enforcement officers have faced criminal charges for on-duty actions.

In 2017, former Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy Scott Thorne was charged with felony assault after he kicked in the bedroom door of a Sonoma Valley man and shot him with a Taser. The actions, which occurred while responding to a call from a neighbor who said he overheard an argument in the home, were also captured on body-camera video.

The Sheriff's Office moved to fire him, but Thorne resigned before the administrative process was complete.

The jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. He is now a lawyer at a Sacramento law firm.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.