On Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 12:12 am a correctional officer with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office was conducting the hourly checks of inmates at the Shasta County Jail. The correctional officer found Charles David Berlinghoff, 45 years old, had hung himself in his locked cell utilizing a bed sheet. Berlinghoff was the only person in the locked cell at the time of the incident. The correctional officer called for assistance and immediately began first aid measures. Jail correctional officers and medical staff continued first aid until an ambulance arrived.
Berlinghoff was transported to a Redding hospital by ambulance and was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.
The Shasta County Multi-Agency Officer Involved Critical Incident Protocol was initiated to investigate the incident. The Redding Police Department was identified as the lead agency.
Investigators interviewed twenty-nine inmates who had contact with Berlinghoff over the past few days. The interviews determined Berlinghoff had been depressed over his current court case. Berlinghoff had been in custody since December 16, 2010 and was facing 87 felony counts, including unlawful detention of a minor, incest, and lewd acts with a minor. He was scheduled to begin trial on January 10, 2011 and faced 40 years in prison if convicted.
Please refer all questions regarding this incident to the Redding Police Department.
-from press release
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