麻豆传媒

A San Diego-based internist was with felony involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday for the death of a young woman being held at the Las Colinas Detention Facility in November 2019, according to a statement from the San Diego District Attorney (DA) Office.

The doctor, Friederike Von Lintig, MD, faces up to 4 years in prison if she is convicted, according to the DA.

Danalee De Los Santos Pascua, who was a nurse on duty at the facility when the inmate died, was also named as a defendant in the case, according to the court documents. She was with felony involuntary manslaughter last November, which if convicted could also result in up to 4 years in prison.

The DA's office released a statement that explained that the charges were brought against Von Lintig almost a year after the charges against Pascua as a result of further investigation into Von Lintig's role in the events preceding the inmate's death.

"The District Attorney's Office has continued to review the matter and has received additional analysis from experts, including from the Medical Board of California" that led to the charges against Von Lintig, the statement said. "The additional evidence developed in this case demonstrates that criminal negligence by this physician contributed to the inmate's death."

Von Lintig still has her , which was issued in 2003, according to the California state medical board's database.

On Nov. 10, 2019, Von Lintig was the physician on duty at the facility when the inmate, Elisa Serna, a 24-year-old woman, was placed in the medical observation unit after reporting that she was dizzy and nauseous, according to the DA's statement released after Pascua's charges were filed last year.

The statement explained that the next day, Pascua visited Serna to take her vitals. During the visit Serna fell before Pascua could get her vitals, but Pascua "did not move Serna into a recovery position and left Serna on the ground in the cell," according to the DA's statement.

The statement noted that about an hour later, Pascua and Las Colinas Detention Facility deputies returned to Serna's cell and "began futile life-saving measures."

According to in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Serna's family has filed a lawsuit against the county, which argues that Von Lintig and Pascua had "ignored obvious signs that the young woman was seriously ill."

The article also reported that Serna's medical chart included a note by Von Lintig accusing Serna of faking her illness to receive favorable treatment while being kept in the facility. Serna's father, Michael Serna, told the Union-Tribune that she had "died in a very inhumane way" and that "nobody should die in that manner."

An released in February revealed that San Diego County jails have ranked among the highest in the state for inmate deaths for the past 15 years. From 2006 to 2020, the report detailed that 185 people have died in San Diego County's jails.

A from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which operates the Las Colinas Detention Facility, confirmed that both Pascua and Von Lintig were on duty at the time of Serna's death. The statement also said that Pascua was suspended after she was charged by the DA's office last year.

"We support the District Attorney's decision to file criminal charges in this case, which centers around the actions and decisions of individuals who were entrusted with the care of Ms. Serna," according to the sheriff's statement released on Wednesday.

The DA's office noted that a preliminary court date for Von Lintig is set for March 29, 2023.

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