Riverside County settles $1.8 million lawsuit over jail death

The conflict between accountability and cost efficiency played out in a boardroom in Riverside County on Sept. 1, when the Board of Supervisors approved a $1.8 million settlement. The payment resolves a federal lawsuit regarding the 2021 death of John Leo Hemmer, an inmate beaten to death in a cell at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. The county did not admit wrongdoing, citing economic reasons for ending the litigation rather than continuing to defend against the claims.

The lawsuit, filed in July 2022 in U.S. District Court, alleged that Sheriff Chad Bianco and five correctional deputies failed to protect Hemmer. Hemmer, a 48-year-old from South Dakota, had been in custody for nearly two and a half years awaiting trial on domestic violence charges. The legal filing claimed that his cellmate, Luke Hanchette, who was known to staff for his unpredictability, bullied Hemmer and eventually killed him with a metal crutch. The plaintiffs argued that deputies showed deliberate indifference by failing to perform adequate cell checks.

According to the lawsuit, the fatal incident began shortly after 4 a.m. on July 21, 2021, when inmates were allowed out of their cells for breakfast. Hanchette collected two meals and obtained a crutch from another inmate despite having no medical need for it. He returned to the cell, and deputies did not check on the inmates for more than two hours. At least two surveillance cameras were reportedly malfunctioning during this window. When Hanchette emerged for a court appearance at 6:40 a.m., he was carrying the crutch, which was smeared with soap or shampoo gel. A deputy later found Hemmer naked and covered in blood inside the flooded cell.

The case remains open on several fronts. Hanchette was charged with murder in 2022, but the case never reached a jury. He was found dead in his cell at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on Dec. 13, 2023. The Sheriff's Department reported no signs of foul play, though a spokesperson declined to disclose the cause of death due to a court order. Hanchette’s death was the 11th reported in county jails that year, following 19 deaths in 2022.

These fatalities prompted a civil rights investigation by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, announced in Feb. 2023. The investigation looks for a pattern of unconstitutional policing, including excessive force and misconduct. The Attorney General’s Office has not released findings nearly four years later, stating that it cannot share updates to protect the confidentiality of the ongoing process.

A separate June 2026 Riverside County Civil Grand Jury report found that existing oversight of the Sheriff’s Department was fragmented and inadequate. The report noted that 29 inmates died in county custody between March 2023 and late April 2026. It recommended the creation of an independent oversight commission with subpoena power. Sheriff Bianco disputed the report's accuracy, claiming it was intended to pressure supervisors.

In response, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on July 14 to establish an ad hoc committee to evaluate civilian oversight options. The committee, proposed by Supervisors Jose Medina and Karen Spiegel, has 180 days to complete its evaluation. It is expected to deliver its findings and recommendations to the board by the end of January.