Case Background

On March 4, 2022, deputies booked Joshua Campos into Orange County custody. Medical staff assessed him with severe mental illness, including schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, polysubstance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations. Despite these risks, authorities placed him in the general population at Theo Lacy Jail. Regulations under Title 15 required regular safety checks, yet the complaint alleges these were inconsistent and superficial.

Cause

On March 7, 2022, video footage allegedly showed Campos snorting a substance in his cell at 10:07 p.m. He soon displayed signs of distress and became unresponsive. His cellmate repeatedly pressed the emergency button and called for help. Plaintiffs claim deputies delayed their response for roughly ten minutes while Campos was in respiratory arrest. They also allege systemic failures, including improper housing of mentally ill inmates, poor contraband control, inadequate safety checks, and lack of medication compliance enforcement.

Injury