Nevada
Nevada inmate pepper-sprayed, held face down before he died; death ruled homicide
A Nevada coroner’s office ruled that an inmate who was pepper-sprayed, shackled and restrained with his face to the ground was killed by prison guards.
An autopsy report revealed that 39-year-old Patrick Odale’s death at the Southern Desert Correctional Center on Dec. 28, 2023 was ruled a homicide, The Associated Press reported.
The autopsy report was finalized in late August after a nearly nine-month investigation by the Clark County coroner’s office into Odale’s death at the mostly medium security prison near Las Vegas.
The report said Odale died of “positional and mechanical asphyxia in the setting of law enforcement restraint.”
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(This undated image provided by Amy Estrada shows Patrick Odale in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (Amy Estrada via AP))
Oregon-based forensic pathology expert Michael Freeman, who was not involved in the investigation, told The Associated Press “mechanical and positional asphyxia” typically happens when someone is restrained face down with their hands behind their back, while pressure is placed on their torso, arms or neck.
The report also noted that Odale had low levels of methamphetamine and xylazine, an animal sedative, in his system, which the coroner’s office described as a “major contributor” to his death.
When the Nevada Department of Corrections announced Odale’s death in a January news release, it did not reveal details suggesting the inmate was restrained.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Nevada Department of Corrections for comment.
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Patrick Odale died at the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Nevada on Dec. 28, 2023. (Google Maps)
The agency told The Associated Press it had no comment because the matter is still an “active investigation.”
It is not clear how many officers were involved in Odale’s death, if any of the officers were disciplined, or how Odale was able to gain access to drugs while in custody.
In May, a corrections officer was arrested as part of the agency’s so-called “crack down on contraband,” after allegedly bringing cigarettes, lighters, cellphones, vape pens, tobacco and liquid spice into the facility, court records obtained by The AP show.
Odale was sentenced in early 2023 to up to two years in prison for being in possession of a stolen credit card and attempting to carry a concealed weapon.
The night that he died, officers reported that Odale was “erratic and growling” at them, the autopsy showed.
The report said the guards pepper-sprayed Odale and put him in a storage room with yard tools for several minutes until he started “thrashing in the room.”
Officers then allegedly pulled him to the ground, restrained him and took him to the prison infirmary.
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The Clark County Coroner’s Office reported that Narcan was administered to Patrick Odale several times before he died. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
During the ordeal, medical and prison staff administered Narcan to Odale several times.
The coroner’s office reviewed video of the incident in order to determine the cause and manner of death, and the autopsy report indicates there could be a gap in the video footage.
The medical examiner said the footage shows Odale groaning as he is taken to the infirmary. Odale was also seen face-down with his hands shackled behind his back.
Then, the medical examiner said, “after a gap, video coverage resumes,” and staff is seen performing CPR on Odale, who was unresponsive.
“When the video resumes, the inmate is face-up with hands shackled anteriorly,” the autopsy stated, meaning that his hands were no longer shackled behind him but were in front of his body.
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Odale was pronounced dead shortly after.
The medical examiner ruled that Odale died because he was restrained in a way that prevented him from breathing, along with the effects of recent drug use.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is hosting its first-ever “Dink for HopeLink” Pickleball Tournament. This is the organization’s main fundraiser of the year Join them for some friendly competition while helping raise money to PREVENT homelessness in Southern Nevada.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is a non-profit family resource center providing much needed assistance to PREVENT families, individuals and vulnerable seniors from facing homelessness.
‘Dink for HopeLink’ is happening at CHICKEN N’ PICKLE June 28th, 2026 from 1:30pm – 5pm.
Nevada County is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Evans has been selected to serve as Nevada County’s next Public Health Officer.
“Dr. Evans brings a long history of leadership in healthcare in Nevada County to the Health Officer position,” said Public Health Director Toby Guevin. “His expertise and knowledge of local health needs and providers across the county will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the health of our community. I also want to thank Dr. Cooke for her dedicated service as Health Officer for the past four years, guiding us through numerous challenges coming out of COVID 19.”
Dr. Evans was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which drew from a pool of highly qualified candidates nationwide. His start date is planned for July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors at their June 16 meeting.
“I’m honored to step into the role of Public Health Officer for Nevada County,” said Dr. Evans. “This is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the community, focusing on prevention, preparedness, and improving health outcomes. I look forward to supporting a science based public health team that is responsive, transparent, and grounded in the needs of our residents.”
Dr. Evans is a physician with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience. Since 2022, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for Tahoe Forest Health, overseeing clinical quality, patient safety, emergency preparedness, communicable disease response, and regulatory compliance across two critical access hospitals and a broad network of services. He has served as both CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, and served as CEO at Mercy Folsom and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Evans practiced for 15 years in Grass Valley after completing residency at UC Davis. He holds an MD from UCLA, an MBA from CSU Sacramento, and a BS in Biology from UC Davis. Dr. Evans lives in Nevada County with his wife, Jennifer, and has two adult daughters.
California law requires each county to appoint a licensed physician as Health Officer. The Health Officer is responsible for carrying out provisions of the State Health and Safety Code and serves as the physician of record for all Public Health clinical services. The Health Officer reports to the Public Health Director.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.
In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.
In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”
“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.
Decker said the word is code for stolen.
“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.
Investigation leads to recovery
Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.
“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.
There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.
The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.
“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.
Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.
“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.
There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.
“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.
Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem
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