Former Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Blount testifies in his involuntary manslaughter trial

After days of testimony by prosecution witnesses who said his behavior was well outside department protocol during a deadly 2019 traffic stop, former Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Blount disagreed Thursday.

Accused of causing the death of 52-year-old David Ward in that incident, he took the stand and said he believes his actions that day were appropriate.

“I think I de-escalated the situation,” Blount told a Sonoma County Superior Court jury. He also called the criminal allegations against him because of Ward’s death “a betrayal of the system.”

Blount, who is the county’s first law enforcement official to be tried in an on-duty in-custody death, is accused of involuntary manslaughter and assault by a public officer. If convicted, he could be sentenced to six years in prison.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner and his co-counsel Deputy District Attorney Robert Rasp have argued that Blount’s actions were an inexcusable departure from what a reasonable officer would have done.

Given the level of activity on Nov. 27, 2019, Waner said Thursday, Blount should have known that more deputies would have arrived within moments.

Ward died after Blount tried to pull him through one of the car’s windows, then bashed his head against the door frame, and wrapped his arm around Ward’s neck in a move that has since been banned. Another deputy, at one point during the incident, also used a stun gun on Ward.

That other deputy, Jason Little, wasn’t charged. He testified last week that the encounter with Ward went differently than he had foreseen once Blount, his shift partner, arrived on scene.

Sheriff Mark Essick called Blount’s actions in that confrontation “extremely troubling” and began termination proceedings against Blount, a 19-year Sheriff’s Office veteran who retired before the process was complete.

According to body camera footage, once backup did arrive and after Ward was detained on the ground outside his vehicle, one of the deputies advised Blount and Little that Ward was the owner of the car.

“Oh well,” Blount said.

On Thursday, Blount called Ward’s death “a tragedy” and said he was caught off guard by the revelation that he was the owner of the vehicle.

“I don’t think I could’ve heard something more shocking or unexpected at that moment,” Blount testified.

Blount acknowledged Thursday that he tried to pull Ward from his car, but said his actions were justified given what he and the other law enforcement personnel on scene knew at that time.

Ward had reported his car stolen, but never told authorities he’d recovered it himself.

Little spotted the vehicle and began following it before a pursuit ensued.

Information about the theft trickled in as Blount responded to assist, including reports that it was a carjacking that may have involved a .38-caliber revolver. That, coupled with the driver’s evasiveness, according to Blount, increased his concern.

“It added more confirmation to me (that) all the information we had received was correct,” he testified Thursday.

Little had already stopped the vehicle when Blount arrived at the scene. According to previous testimony and body-camera footage, Little and two Sebastopol police officers who were assisting had taken up defensive stances a distance from Ward’s car.

Nevertheless, Blount told jurors, he remained concerned that the driver might have been armed with a gun. He said he saw the driver raise his hands and he was not holding a gun. Blount said he took that as an opportunity to approach the vehicle so he could keep a closer eye on the driver.

Waner, who cross-examined Blount for the prosecution, pressed the former deputy about his training, seeking to show he had deviated from department protocol.

He emphasized that Blount moved into the line of fire of his fellow deputy and the Sebastopol police officers when he took it upon himself to approach the car. Blount’s actions, Waner said, also forced the other law enforcement officers to move closer to someone they believed to be armed.

“At five seconds — 10 seconds on scene — you, yourself, elected to assume command of this stop and walk right up to the window,” Waner told Blount.

“Because of your unspoken plan, we now have three officers within feet of Ward,” Waner added.

“Once I got to the window, the danger I was facing was greatly reduced,” Blount told jurors. “Even a hardened criminal would know he lost that advantage and I’m on top of him and know what he’s doing.”

The former sheriff’s deputy said it was clear Ward could hear him, but he still refused to cooperate and questioned why Blount was harassing him. Blount said suspects often ask that question to buy themselves time when approached by law enforcement.

Still, concerned a gun could be in the vehicle, Blount told jurors he grabbed Ward and tried to separate him from any weapon.

“He’s arrestable and he’s not complying, so I’m going to put my hands on him and arrest him,” Blount said, describing what he called a routine tactic for officers when someone is not complying.

He said his gun was put away and he had no intention of shooting Ward, who still refused to cooperate even when Little began to assist. That’s when Blount said he felt an “intense pain” in his forearm.

“My first thought was I was stabbed in my arm, then I realized he was biting me,” Blount said.

He used his knees and elbow to subdue Ward, who was halfway out of his car window before he began to move back into his vehicle. The farther he got into the car, Blount said, the more dangerous Ward could be if he had a gun or decided to use the car as a weapon.

It was at this point, Blount said, that he placed Ward in a neck hold and applied pressure for about 10 seconds. Prosecution witnesses, including Assistant Sheriff Jim Naugle, have testified that Blount’s application of that now-banned carotid hold was incorrect.

Little then deployed a stun gun, Blount added.

Outside the car, Ward never regained consciousness.

Earlier in the trial, a Marin County Coroner’s official testified Ward died due to a physical confrontation with law enforcement and that his injuries were caused by blunt impacts, electrical shock from a stun gun and the neck hold used by Blount.

The medical official added that Ward’s poor health, including chronic use of methamphetamine and heart and lung disease also played a role in his death.

Witness testimony is scheduled to continue Friday morning and closing arguments may take place Monday.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi