Ronnie Ledesma Jr., 39

Turn to 23: Man bit by Kern County Sheriff's K-9 after resisting arrest, dies: Deputies believe man was under the influence (Aug 29 2013)

According to Kern County Sheriff's deputies, a man resisting arrest at a Walgreens store died, Wednesday, after being bitten by a Sheriff's K-9 during the incident earlier this month. On August 19, deputies were dispatched to the Walgreens on Mt. Vernon Avenue on a call about two suspicious Hispanic men who were inside the store "acting strange". Once deputies arrived, they found Ronnie Ledesma Jr., 39, who appeared to be showing symptoms consistent with being under the influence of PCP. When deputies attempted to arrest Ledesma, he became uncooperative, and that is when he was bit by the K-9. Even then, Ledesma continued to struggle with deputies, who said they had to use impact weapons and control holds to subdue him.​

KGET 17: Man dies nine days after arrest (Aug 30 2013)

Sheriff's deputies says Ronnie Ledesma Jr., 39, of Bakersfield was arrested Monday, August 19. But his family says they didn't find out about his arrest until they got a call from Kern Medical Center a week later. The family gave us pictures of the father of four in the hospital. "All we know when we get there is that he's been there for close to a week and the family has not been notified. They only notified us when he was in critical condition," Ledesma's son-in-law, Joe Gomez, said. Ledesma was arrested at Walgreens on Mount Vernon Avenue when deputies got a call about two men acting strangely and possibly under the influence of a controlled substance. Deputies says Ledesma resisted arrest so additional deputies and a K-9 responded. The department says during the struggle, Ledesma was bitten by the dog and deputies used impact weapons and control holds to subdue him.​

Bakersfield Now: Sheriff's office releases video of struggle with deputies, suspect (Aug 30 2013)

Witness cellphone video was released Friday that shows a struggle between Kern County deputies and a man they were arresting. The man, Ronnie Ledesma Jr., later died while in the sheriff's office custody. Deputies responded Aug. 19 to the Walgreens store at 2629 Mt. Vernon Ave. regarding a suspicious-persons call. Two men were inside the store acting strangely, and both were possibly under the influence of a controlled substance, the sheriff's office said.​

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A sheriff's department dog bit Ledesma during the arrest, and deputies used "impact weapons" and control holds to subdue Ledesma. Ledesma was taken to Kern Medical Center for injuries sustained during his arrest. The sheriff's office said Ledesma developed medical complications and was admitted for further treatment. His condition worsened, and Ledesma died Wednesday.​

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Bakersfield Californian: Family angered over man's in-custody death (Aug 30 2014)

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Ledesma’s family knew he battled drugs but they don’t believe his drug use played a role in his death. “My dad was a loving, caring person,” said 22-year-old Adriana Ledesma. “He always had a smile on his face.” Preliminary toxicology reports revealed Ledesma had PCP, amphetamines and Benzodiazapine in his system at the time of his death. An autopsy was performed but results are pending. Ledesma, 39, died about 10 p.m. Wednesday, nine days after his Aug. 19 arrest. A cellphone video shot on the night of Ledesma’s arrest and released Friday by the sheriff’s department shows deputies repeatedly telling Ledesma to stop resisting and to lie flat on the ground outside the Walgreens store at 2628 Mt. Vernon Ave. Ledesma continues yelling and a deputy can be heard telling another deputy to watch out for Ledesma’s leg.​

Remember the Sheriff Donny Boy is also the Coroner of Kern County. This is just their latest self-excusing absolution:

Turn to 23: Officials: Ronnie Ledesma's death after arrest was accidental (Nov 11 2013)

After completing an investigation including a postmortem examination, the official cause of death for Ronnie Ledesma was determined to be Massive Right Cerebral Hemisphere Infarction, or a blockage of blood to the brain, and Thrombosis of the Proximal Right Middle Cerebral Artery, and a blood clot.​

New York Daily News: Bakersfield, Calif., man beaten by deputies dies in the latest incident for troubled Kern County Sheriff’s Department: Ronnie Ledesma's death is the latest in a string of suspicious incidents for the Kern County Sheriff's Department (Aug 30 2013)

A California sheriff’s department finds itself under fire once more following the death of a 39 year-old father who was beaten by deputies. On Monday, Aug. 19, Ronnie Ledesma was arrested outside of a Walgreens store in Bakersfield after Kern County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about two men acting strangely. Ledesma’s family, however, was not notified about what had happened to the father of four, until they received a call from Kern Medical Center informing them that he was in critical condition. "All we know when we get there is that he's been there for close to a week and the family has not been notified. They only notified us when he was in critical condition," Ledesma's son-in-law, Joe Gomez, told KGET News.​

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The family’s suspicions may be justified given that the Kern County coroner also happens to be Sheriff Donny Youngblood, whose department has seen no shortage of controversial incidents in recent years, some of which would seem to follow a familiar pattern.​

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In May, David Sal Silva, 33, died after six sheriff’s deputies beat him with batons. The coroner’s office ruled that the death was “accidental” and was caused not by the blows rained down upon him, but by “cardiac hypertension." The coroner also reported the presence of amphetamines, methamphetamine and Klonopin in Silva’s system at the time of his death. The FBI is now investigating witness reports that Kern County Sheriff deputies rounded up the cell phones of residents who had witness and potentially filmed the beating.​

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In December of 2010, Jose Lucero died after sheriff deputies tasered him 29 times, and beat him 33 times with their batons after responding to a bogus 911 calls that Lucero, who was a recovering drug addict who suffered from mental illness, had placed.​

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Just weeks before Ledesma’s death, Ruben Ornelas, 51, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Kern County Sheriff’s office two days after being arrested on drug charges. Arrested on July 1 for possession of heroin, Ornelas was rushed to Kern Medical Center on July 3, where he was pronounced dead.​

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