Robert Gene Freeman
Robert Gene Freeman died on July 19, 2017, while held at the Intake Release Center, a jail in Santa Ana run by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The reported cause of death was drug-related. Deputy Shaun Stewart was fired in 2018 for allegedly failing to check on Freeman, and an arbitration hearing upheld the firing. Stewart says he was made a scapegoat, that he watched Freeman breathing before his shift ended, and that a civilian jailer who testified against him had been pressured to forge logs. The sheriff's office denies the scapegoating claims.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (neglect alleged). The sheriff's office fired Deputy Shaun Stewart in 2018 for allegedly failing to check on Freeman, and Stewart says he watched Freeman breathing before his shift ended.