Former Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy not guilty in 2019 death of Bloomfield man
More than two years after David Ward died following a violent confrontation with deputies at the end of an early morning car chase, former Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Blount was acquitted Wednesday of all charges related to his role in Ward’s death.
Jurors, who deliberated for seven hours over two days, unanimously found him not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault by a peace officer in the Nov. 27, 2019 incident that ended in the death of the 52-year-old Bloomfield man.
Blount, the first local law enforcement official to stand trial in connection with an in-custody, on-duty killing, could have faced six years in prison if he’d been convicted.
A male juror, who declined to provide his name, told reporters following the verdict, “It was a very interesting and disturbing case. ... Nothing this officer did was beyond the scope of proper behavior.”
Ultimately, jurors found that Blount’s actions were lawful and that he had not committed manslaughter.
Blount, dressed in a dark blue suit, shook hands with his defense team as the verdict was read.
Judge Robert LaForge thanked jurors for their service and the courtroom cleared moments later.
Standing beside Blount outside the courthouse, defense attorney Harry Stern called the trial “an extremely tough case.”
He later issued a statement thanking jurors “for their patience and hard work. Charlie is relieved and grateful. I would also like to reiterate our condolences to Mr. Ward’s family and friends.”
A request for comment from District Attorney Jill Ravitch’s Office was referred to an office spokesman, who did not respond by Press Democrat deadline.
Prosecutors, during the four-week trial, had contended that Blount’s actions were criminally negligent and that he used excessive force that resulted in Ward’s death.
One of their lead witnesses, Dr. Joseph Cohen, Marin County's chief forensic pathologist, testified that 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 a now-banned neck hold Blount had used — and applied improperly, according to later testimony from Assistant Sheriff Jim Naugle.
The defense, though, maintained that Ward’s frail health and his chronic drug abuse — he was on methamphetamine at the time of the encounter — as well as stress from the pursuit were the prevailing factors in his death.
They also stressed that Blount actions were reasonable and lawful given his belief he was responding to a traffic stop where the motorist was suspected to be an armed carjacker.
Only after Ward was detained and unconscious on the ground outside his vehicle did Blount learn from other, newly arrived officers that the driver was Ward, who’d reported the car stolen days before but not told authorities after he’d reclaimed it.
The verdict was difficult news to hear, said Catherine Aguilera, Ward’s half-sister, Wednesday afternoon. She’d been following the case from her home in Washington.
“This is a hard thing not just for us, but for a lot of people in the community as well,” Aguilera said. “People in the community and across the nation are paying attention to excessive use of force in law enforcement — and wanting something to be done about it.”
But the verdict was not shocking, she added.
“I actually would have been surprised if he was convicted,” Aguilera said of Blount. “Because there really hasn’t been a history of convictions in these cases.”
Aguilera read from a statement she prepared in the event Blount was found not guilty.
“We will learn to accept it and lay it to rest, and we are deeply grateful for Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner and his colleagues. To the jurors: I don’t envy their difficult task in this complicated legal case. In our hearts we will continue to make medicine of David’s tragic death and live our lives honoring his.”
The case featured in-depth examination of Blount’s actions that morning, in which he violently sought to pull an noncompliant Ward out of the driver’s seat in his Honda Civic. Body-camera footage showed Blount wrapping his arm around Ward’s neck in a now-banned carotid hold and bashing his head into the door frame of the Honda.
A month after the incident, Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick had sought to fire Blount, calling his actions “extremely troubling.” Blount, a 19-year department veteran, retired before completion of the termination proceedings.
“I believe in and respect the criminal justice system, and I respect the jury’s decision,” Essick said Wednesday.
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