By Joe Nelson
The Press-Enterprise
INDIO, Calif. Riverside County has agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging sheriff’s deputies failed to protect an inmate who was beaten to death with a crutch by his cellmate at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
The settlement, approved by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 1, resolves a wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of John Leo Hemmer, 48, of South Dakota. His July 2021 death was among a series of Riverside County jail deaths in recent years that has drawn scrutiny of the Sheriff’s Department and prompted a state investigation into its practices.
The county did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, saying it agreed to pay the family for economic reasons rather than continue fighting the lawsuit.
Lawsuit filed in 2022
The lawsuit, filed in July 2022 in U.S. District Court in Riverside, named as defendants Sheriff Chad Bianco, correctional Sgt. Ashley Rodriguez and correctional Deputies Jonathan McKeithen, Cody Brand, James Parks and Laura Valdez.
Hemmer had been jailed for nearly 2½ years awaiting trial on charges stemming from a February 2019 domestic violence case, including attempted murder, torture, assault, domestic violence and witness intimidation.
According to the lawsuit, Hemmer had been housed with other inmates without incident until Luke Hanchette became his cellmate.
Hanchette had two convictions for battery and was in custody on a new charge of battery causing great bodily injury. He was well known by jail staff for his violence and unpredictability, according to the lawsuit.
McKeithen, Brand and Parks showed “deliberate indifference” toward Hemmer, failing to conduct adequate cell checks and allowing Hanchette to “bully and assault” Hemmer in their cell, forcing Hemmer to “strip naked and taking his mattress,” according to the lawsuit.
Beating death
Shortly after 4 a.m. on July 21, 2021, inmates were allowed out of their cells to collect bagged breakfasts. Hanchette emerged without Hemmer, collected two meals and obtained a metal crutch from another inmate, which he brought back to his cell, despite having no medical need for it, according to the lawsuit.
Deputies failed to check the cell for more than two hours after breakfast, during which time Hanchette allegedly killed Hemmer. At least two surveillance cameras were malfunctioning, the lawsuit alleges.
When Hanchette emerged from the cell around 6:40 a.m. for a court appearance, he was carrying the crutch — smeared with soap or shampoo gel to remove blood and human tissue. Inside the flooded cell, a deputy found Hemmer naked and covered in blood. He apparently had been dead for at least an hour, according to the lawsuit.
The family alleged that an earlier inspection could have saved Hemmer’s life. Beyond the actions of individual deputies, the lawsuit accused the county, Bianco and correctional supervisors of maintaining inadequate policies governing inmate classification, staff supervision, safety checks and equipment maintenance.
Hanchette was charged with murder and was ordered to stand trial in March 2022, but the case never reached a jury.
On Dec. 13, 2023, Hanchette was found dead in his cell at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. The Sheriff’s Department reported no signs of foul play. A department spokesperson on Friday would not disclose Hanchette’s cause of death, citing a court order restricting the public release of the information.
Jail death controversy
Hanchette’s death was the 11th reported in Riverside County jails that year, following 19 inmate deaths in 2022, the highest annual total reported in decades.
On Feb. 23, 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a civil rights investigation into whether the Sheriff’s Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing, including excessive force and misconduct in county jails, following a record number of inmate deaths.
Nearly four years later, the Attorney General’s Office has released no findings or announced any conclusions. The office did not respond Friday to questions about the status of the investigation, whether systemic deficiencies have been identified or when the public might expect findings or corrective action.
“To protect the confidentiality of our ongoing investigation, we are unable to share updates,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in an email.
Grand jury findings
Separately, a June 2026 Riverside County Civil Grand Jury report called for independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Department.
The grand jury found existing oversight fragmented and inadequate, citing limited independent review of jail deaths, insufficient public reporting and no long-term accountability strategy. According to the report, 29 inmates died in county custody from March 2023 to late April 2026, while the state investigation remained underway.
The panel recommended an independent oversight commission with subpoena power, independent jail death reviews and regular public reporting on jail operations. Its recommendations are advisory and not binding.
Bianco disputed the grand jury’s findings, calling the report inaccurate and alleging it was intended to pressure county supervisors into creating an oversight board or inspector general.
On July 14 , the Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to establish an ad hoc committee to evaluate civilian oversight options for the Sheriff’s Department. The committee, proposed by Supervisors Jose Medina and Karen Spiegel, was given 180 days to report its findings. A similar proposal by Medina failed to gain support in 2025.
The committee is expected to report its findings and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors by the end of January.
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