Inmate Dies at Santa Maria Nursing Facility While in Sheriff's Custody
Ernest Lattimer, 79, died Monday morning at Villa Maria Post Acute after being moved from the Northern Branch Jail to hospital care in July. The Coroner's Bureau is investigating.
A 79-year-old Santa Maria man died Monday morning at a skilled nursing facility while in the legal custody of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the Sheriff's Office announced.
Ernest Lattimer died at approximately 8:17 a.m. on Oct. 5 at Villa Maria Post Acute in Santa Maria, where he had been receiving medical care. He had been housed at the Northern Branch Jail before being transported to an area hospital on July 30 for medical treatment, and was later transferred from the hospital to the nursing facility, the Sheriff's Office said.
Lattimer was being held on $1 million bail on multiple felony charges, including four counts of engaging in sex acts with a minor, three counts of oral copulation with a victim under 10 years old, and 10 counts of lewd acts with a child under 14, according to the Sheriff's Office. He also faced special allegations related to violent sex offenses that would prohibit probation upon conviction, and an aggravated sentencing allegation involving specified sex offenses against a child under 14 carrying a potential sentence of 25 years to life.
Although Lattimer was no longer physically housed at the jail, he remained in the Sheriff's Office's legal custody and under guard while receiving care, the office said. The Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau is conducting a death investigation to determine the official cause and manner of death, and a separate administrative review is underway, per Sheriff's Office policy.
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