RivCo, Sheriff Sued for Not Giving Inmate Medical Care

Oct 28,2025

Lawsuit Claims that Riverside County Inmate was Denied Critical Medical Care for Near-fatal Injury for 12 Hours

RANCHO MIRAGE — A lawsuit was filed in the Central District of California Federal Court on Tuesday against Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for governor; the County of Riverside and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department the failure to provide medical care to a seriously injured pretrial detainee.

The lawsuit was filed late Tuesday afternoon. Bianco told Uken Report early Wednesday morning that he was unaware of the lawsuit.

Walter Clark Legal Group filed the legal action on behalf of pretrial detainee in Riverside County jail who was allegedly assaulted by other inmates while in custody and was allegedly medical care for 12 hours for his life-threatening injuries before he was finally allowed to go to a hospital for emergency surgery, according to the lawsuit.

Attorneys Walter T. Clark and Dan C. Bolton represent the Plaintiff in the case.

The lawsuit claims that Johnathin Janes Onello was denied critical medical care for a near-fatal injury for 12 hours and tossed around in different cells while his pleas for help were repeatedly ignored, the “Sheriffs” in the John J. Benoit Detention Center, in Indio. showed a shocking and deliberate indifference to Onello’s serious medical needs—essentially torturing Onello while he suffered excruciating pain hour after hour—while wantonly and intentionally violating basic standards of decency in violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and well-established civil rights protections.

“Riverside County jails in recent years have been among the deadliest jails in the United States,” Bolton said in a prepared statement. “This action seeks to hold Riverside County accountable for the ongoing and brazen violation of civil rights of pretrial detainees.”

Onello was a misdemeanor pretrial detainee who was seriously beaten by two inmates in a supervised area with video surveillance, according to the lawsuit. Yet, no correctional officers intervened to stop the attack. After beginning to experience increasing and intolerable pain in his abdomen, his pleas for medical treatment were ignored by “Sheriffs.” Rather than provide the medical care he was constitutionally entitled to, Riverside County Sheriffs accused Onello of lying about his pain and refused to permit him to see a medical professional, according to the lawsuit.

Showing deliberate indifference to his need for immediate medical care, “Sheriffs” moved Onello to a separate holding cell and left him there for hours. Onello allegedly continued to beg for help. “Sheriffs” ignored his requests for medical help and accused him of faking his pain.

At one point, six “Sheriffs” came into the room, removed Plaintiff’s clothes, and threw him into a suicide prevention cell. Onello was kept in the cell for another extended period of time. Plaintiff had no way to contact anyone from inside the suicide prevention cell.

Eventually, after approximately 12 hours of suffering and begging for medical attention, the sheriffs took Onello to a waiting area at the jail and handcuffed him to a bench. After another approximately 90 minutes of waiting in intense pain, Onello was transported to JFK Memorial Hospital in a patrol vehicle.

Once he was in the Emergency Room at JFK Memorial Hospital, the medical providers determined that Onello was septic, with an infection spreading throughout his body, and that he needed emergency surgery. Despite the serious and life-threatening diagnosis, the medical providers had to demand that the “sheriffs” remove the chains and handcuffs on Plaintiff’s body.

Onello underwent two operations at JFK Memorial Hospital, including a splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen) and an exploratory laparotomy (a procedure where the surgeon makes a large incision in the abdomen to directly examine the abdominal area).

Onello woke up from the surgery and found himself at Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs, where he had been air-lifted once stabilized. Plaintiff had 36 staples in his stomach, holding together a large incision from an emergency splenectomy and exploratory laparotomy, according to the lawsuit.

“Constitutional rights do not disappear at the jailhouse door.” Bolton said in a statement.