Inmate charged with attempted murder in Sacramento cellmate’s beating; family seeks answers
The family of an inmate beaten into critical condition in the Sacramento County Main Jail nearly a week ago says they have been unable to get basic information about the condition of their loved one or find out exactly what happened to him.
Livermore resident Joe Cravotta says his brother, Anthony Peter Cravotta, 44, is the inmate the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced was in critical condition after a fight with his cellmate Sunday night.
Sheriff’s officials have not identified either of the inmates involved.
But online jail records show Anthony Cravotta is listed as being in the sheriff’s custody, and Sacramento Superior Court records show the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has filed an attempted murder charge in the case against Lemar Burleson, 43, who was being held for failure to report for GPS monitoring and absconding from parole.
Burleson has Sacramento convictions for burglary and robbery, court records show, and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday but did not appear in court because of mental health issues, Court Commissioner Ken Brody said. His arraignment was rescheduled for Wednesday.
The Cravotta family learned of the charges Friday from a Sacramento Bee reporter.
“We have gotten no information from the hospital or the sheriff’s department for three to four days now,” Joe Cravotta told The Bee on Thursday. Cravotta added that when his father traveled to the UC Davis Medical Center from Antelope this week to visit his son, he was turned away.
After The Bee began making inquiries about the case, Joe Cravotta said his father received a call Thursday night from a sheriff’s sergeant who advised the family “to give them a couple of days to figure it out with the hospital.”
“I said, ‘No, Dad, we’ve already given them a couple days to figure it out.’”
Family says little information shared
Finally, Cravotta said, he called the jail Friday morning and spoke with a sheriff’s sergeant who confirmed his brother suffered a head injury and is in a medically induced coma, but he said he was given no other details.
A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that the family has been kept abreast of the situation.
“Just initially, I can tell you, the family was put in contact with the hospital and medical staff and they have spoken directly with the hospital several times this week,” Sgt. Rod Grassmann wrote in an email to The Bee. “They certainly know his condition and every aspect of care.”
Joe Cravotta disputes that, saying UC Davis officials referred inquiries to the sheriff, and the sheriff referred inquiries from the family to the hospital, leaving the family gravely concerned about the inmate’s condition.
“We have no information,” Joe Cravotta said. “We don’t know if he got hit once and hit the ground, or if he got beat up for 10 minutes. We have no idea what happened and they won’t let us know.
“We heard potentially there were 20 witnesses in there. It happened in general population.”
UC Davis Medical Center does not confirm or deny the presence of a patient or their condition unless the patient has authorized the release of such information.
Father denied visit at hospital
But a hospital spokeswoman confirmed Thursday night that inmate-patients are not allowed visitors except in rare cases.
“On occasion, UC Davis Medical Center provides care to patients who are in the custody of law enforcement,” Tricia Tomiyoshi-Marson wrote in an email statement. “Under special circumstances such as end-of-life care or for juvenile patients, people wishing to visit an incarcerated patient can submit a written request.
“Such requests first require the approval of the presiding law enforcement agency, followed by the approval of the hospital.”
Joe Cravotta said his father was told by the Sheriff’s Office he could visit his son Monday or Tuesday because Anthony Cravotta was gravely ill, but by the time he got to the hospital at 11 a.m. Tuesday he was first told his son was not there.
The father waited an hour before leaving, and later got a call from the hospital saying his son had improved enough that he could no longer visit him, Joe Cravotta said.
“Improved from what,” his father asked, but got no answer, Joe Cravotta said.
Just after noon Friday, the Sheriff’s Office relented and told the father that he could visit his son in the hospital, and a short time later the Sheriff’s Office spokesman issued a statement regarding the case and how it unfolded.
Sheriff’s Office issues statement
“Mr. Cravotta was involved in a physical altercation with his cellmate in the Sacramento County Jail on Sunday night,” the statement said. “He was transported via ambulance to the hospital for treatment.
“A hospital social worker contacted the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office on Monday morning requesting next of kin (NOK) contact information to contact the family to make care decisions for Mr. Carvotta. A lieutenant attempted to contact Mr. Cravotta’s father, whom he identified as his next of kin upon booking at the Main Jail. However, the number provided was no longer valid. The Main Jail attempted to locate an alternate contact number for Mr. Cravotta’s father but was not able to do so.
“SSO made two additional unsuccessful attempts to make in-person contact with Mr. Cravotta’s father on Monday. A patrol watch commander (lieutenant) was finally able to contact Cravotta’s father at his place of work on Tuesday morning. The lieutenant advised Cravotta’s father that Mr. Cravotta had been in a physical altercation and was being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
“The watch commander provided Mr. Cravotta’s father with contact information for the hospital social worker. The watch commander also obtained a valid telephone number for Mr. Cravotta’s father which SSO provided to the UC Davis Medical Center social worker.
“A Main Jail Sergeant spoke with Cravotta’s father yesterday (Thursday) to authorize him for social visits and explain the procedure for visiting his son at the hospital. The hospital has advised SSO that a prisoner may receive one visitor, who must be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours. The Sergeant explained all of this to his father, and he said he understood.
“Due to federal and state patient privacy laws, the hospital is unable to provide additional information regarding Mr. Cravotta’s condition. Jail personnel do not possess detailed knowledge regarding Mr. Cravotta’s condition.”
Anthony Cravotta was booked into the downtown jail Nov. 11, 2020, on a felony charge of possessing obscene matter depicting a person under 18, according to jail records.
Joe Cravotta says his brother was diagnosed with a mental illness decades ago and that the charges stem from his brother’s belief that he was trying to break up a child sex ring and had gathered images on his computer to take to law enforcement.
“”He’s been diagnosed with mental issues since 23 years ago,” Joe Cravotta said. “He’s been in and out of mental institutions.”
Court records show Anthony Cravotta was found incompetent to stand trial last February, and that in April he was ordered committed to a state hospital.
Joe Cravotta said there were no beds available at Napa State Hospital, and that his brother remained at the jail housed with a cellmate despite his mental state.
“If he’s not competent to stand trial, how can he have a cellmate?” Cravotta asked.
Suit against county planned
Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin, who said he plans to file a claim against the county on the family’s behalf, called the decision to house a mentally incompetent inmate with another prisoner “absolutely outrageous.”
“How is it that they would take a mentally ill man who is incompetent and is going to be put in a state hospital and not at least house him in a psych bed or ward?” Merin asked. “That’s the kind of thing we thought the jail had stopped doing after the Mays decision.”
Merin was referring to a consent decree reached in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Prison Law Office and Disability Rights California that led Sacramento County to promise reforms in how the jail handled mentally ill inmates.
“Inmates will be pre-screened for mental health concerns and housing, health care and management needs will be adjusted for those inmates; most inmates will receive more out-of-cell time,” the county wrote in a news release announcing the agreement.
“For inmates with mental illness, the County will ensure appropriate housing and settings for group and individual treatment, sufficient staffing to meet and maintain improved standards of care and staff training,” the announcement promised.
The Sheriff’s Office in its statement said Cravotta’s housing assignment was made by psychiatric staff.
“As to Mr. Cravotta’s housing, he is classified as an Out Patient Psych (OPP) inmate at the direction of Jail Psychiatric Staff (JPS), and housed on the OPP floor under JPS care,” the statement said. “JPS is a separate entity which is contracted through and staffed by UC Davis medical personnel.
“JPS makes the mental health treatment and housing decisions for inmates under their care to facilitate effective treatment. Most OPP inmates are housed with other OPP cell mates unless classification or JPS determines they must be housed alone for safety reasons. There was no such determination for Mr. Cravotta or his cellmate.
“Mr. Cravotta’s status awaiting transport to Napa State Hospital is a legal determination regarding his criminal charges and is not a factor necessitating solitary housing.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 12:25 PM.