GEORGIA INMATE STOMPED TO DEATH 2 GANG MEMBERS SUSPECTS IN KILLING.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Sixteen months after a spate of five inmate homicides at Men's Central Jail, an inmate from Georgia was stomped to death in a day room Wednesday evening.

Details of the incident were released Thursday at a news conference discussing the fourth annual Office of Independent Review report, which had recommended that the Sheriff's Department stop using the day rooms because they have no observation areas for deputies.

The report - by a panel of civil rights attorneys who oversee internal sheriff's investigations and recommend discipline - noted that after the five homicides, sheriff's officials had phased out use of the day rooms but had recently begun using them again to avoid inmates having to sleep on the floor.

``Was it appropriate or a good idea to use that facility as a holding area?'' asked OIR Chief Attorney Michael Gennaco. ``The department will never be able to completely prevent a murder in the jails. A jail is a powder keg full of violent people that will blow up occasionally in violence. But through vigilant review ... the Sheriff's Department can reduce (violence)...''

Christian Perez, 18, and Heriberto Rodriguez, 24, were both charged with murder in the incident, Undersheriff Larry Waldie said. Perez was originally jailed on suspicion of murder and Rodriguez on suspicion of carjacking.

The incident occurred when the victim - a transient from Georgia jailed for being a convict in possession of a gun and escaping from jails in Arizona and Nevada - cut in front of two gang members in the dinner line, Waldie said.

The name of the victim, who lived at a trailer park in Walnut, was not released pending notification of his family.

Since the slayings of five jailhouse informants in a seven-month period in late 2003 and early 2004, the department has assigned 96 deputies to ensure that inmates are checked hourly.

``By law, we have to check where people are every hour,'' Waldie said. ``We have 6,000 inmates in the jail, 4,000 of whom are gang members and 600 who are murderers. The deputies were working vigilantly to prevent violence. It doesn't take long when you are dealing with murderers for an incident to occur.''

In a phone call while attending a gang conference in Russia, Sheriff Lee Baca asked Waldie to evaluate whether gang members charged with murder could be housed separately from other inmates.

In his report, Gennaco noted that additional deputies assigned to ensure hourly checks have interrupted 23 attempted suicides this year.

Gennaco said there was only one successful jail suicide this year, compared to 4.5 suicides on average in previous years.

In other matters, the OIR noted that some sheriff's commanders have not consulted with the OIR before engaging in ``unprincipled reductions'' in discipline for employee misconduct.

As a result of the five jailhouse slayings, 25 sheriff's employees were suspended for three to 15 days. After the appeal process was completed, the discipline of three deputies was rescinded and in several more cases the suspensions were reduced significantly, Gennaco said.

The report also found that 20 inmates have escaped from the jails and courthouses from November 2004 through Sept. 30.

Several cases involved dangerous inmates, including a 19-year-old man hospitalized at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in October 2004.

The inmate escaped while the deputy guarding him was looking at pornographic material on a computer. Deputies from the Santa Clarita station apprehended the inmate later the same day, but not before he had assaulted and seriously injured a nearby homeowner.

OIR concurred with the department's decision to fire the deputy.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com