Man Sprayed With Feces, Urine, Contracted Hepatitis C In Prison, Sues Ex-Deputies

A former California inmate filed a lawsuit against the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and four former deputies, who allegedly orchestrated the spraying of feces and urine on him while he was serving his term at the Santa Rita Jail.

Fernando Miguel Soria, who was booked into prison in August 2016 for resisting arrest following a prescription-drug related incident in San Leandro, claimed he was the victim of “gassing” several times between the months of September and November of the same year.

According to Urban Dictionary, “gassing” is “a term used in prison, it is when a prisoner stores feces, urine, and sometimes blood in a bag; which is used to assault a guard usually during head counts.” The act of gassing can also be used by convicts against other co-prisoners.

According to the federal lawsuit, Justin Linn, Erik McDermott, Sarah Krause and Stephen Sarcos, were accused of using excessive force on Soria when he was in lockup, denying him medical attention and conspiring to violate his civil rights.

Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that none of the four deputies worked with the agency any longer. They were arrested last year by their own agency and charged with six counts of assault by a public officer for the alleged attacks on Soria and other inmates. Krause and Sarcos have already admitted to the conspiracy, San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Soria claimed the deputies kept human waste in a shampoo bottle, which they handed over to another inmate called the “Preacher” and urged the latter to gas him. They even held his prison door open for "Preacher" to get into Soria’s cell, the lawsuit said.

The fact that he was not allowed to shower after the alleged gassing attacks, which took place at least seven to eight times, and was forced to clean himself with toilet paper and water from the prison toilet caused him to contract Hepatitis C, Soria said during a recent press conference. However, he had no idea why the deputies chose to target him, Soria added.

“I can’t figure that out,” Soria told reporters Tuesday outside the Alameda County courthouse in Oakland. “That’s something I have to work out with a psychologist or something.”

In addition, Soria was also denied timely medical care when he broke his arm inside the prison, according to his lawyer John Burris. “It’s important that we vindicate the civil rights of Mr. Soria. He did not deserve for this to happen to him.”

Burris added that while his firm commended the Sherif’s Office for holding their own deputies accountable for the alleged crimes, his client deserved to be compensated for the ordeals faced during his prison term. The lawsuit sought “compensatory and punitive damages,” but did not mention any specific amount.