SATICOY : Family Implicates Deputies in Death

The family of a 44-year-old man who died while under the influence of cocaine and in the custody of sheriff’s deputies has filed a claim against the county, saying deputies contributed to his death by “hogtying” him in the back of a patrol car.

Deputies contributed substantially to the death of William Orrante of Saticoy by placing him face-down with his arms and legs restrained behind his back, according to the claim, which seeks $2 million in damages.

The claim was filed earlier this month by attorneys for Orrante’s 3-year-old daughter, Katherine, and her mother, Bernice Sustaita, both of Oxnard.

A claim is legally required before a lawsuit can be filed against a public agency.

The cause of Orrante’s death was respiratory arrest due to cocaine-induced delirium, according to Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Ronald O’Halloran. But a contributing factor was “positional asphyxiation,” which means Orrante was restrained in such a way that he couldn’t breathe, O’Halloran said.

An Oxnard man under the influence of methamphetamines died under similar circumstances last year after California Highway Patrol officers used a leg restraint that connects the suspect’s legs to his handcuffed wrists.

Although both deaths were ruled accidents, the district attorney’s office urged county law enforcement agencies to reexamine the ways they subdue suspects.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Orrante on Aug. 14, 1990, after they were called to his house on a report of a man allegedly experiencing a violent reaction to cocaine.

After Orrante tried to kick out the windows of a patrol car, he was put in a restraint.

He was pronounced dead a short time later when deputies took him to the hospital.