Streck said 10 jail staff were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues. He added that this is a procedural step and not an implication of guilt.
Christian Black, 25, of Zanesville, was taken into custody March 23 after allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle on Interstate 70 in Englewood. Emergency crews reportedly took him to a local hospital for treatment, then to the Montgomery County Jail.
At the jail early March 24, Black was involved in a fight with jail staff, with the sheriff’s office saying that the staff used force, including a Taser to subdue him. Later, they said, Black forcefully and repeatedly hit his head on his cell door, leading to jail staff entering the room to subdue him and a second fight breaking out. Staff again used force and a Taser, but also used pepper spray during the second fight, the sheriff’s office said.
He was then put in handcuffs and an emergency restraint chair, and medics were called to take Black to the hospital to be checked.
During the wait, the sheriff’s office said, Black’s condition deteriorated and he went into full arrest, despite staff performing CPR and administering oxygen, medicine and a defibrillator before medics arrived and took him to the hospital.
He was declared dead two days later.
Following the death, Black’s family announced they were working with attorneys Michael Wright and Robert Gresham to investigate. The family’s legal team released a statement after the sheriff’s office announcement.
The family reviewed footage of Black’s time at Montgomery County Jail with sheriff’s office officials on Monday.
“After watching the horrific video, it is clear to the family why the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office ruled Mr. Black’s death a homicide,” the attorneys’ statement said.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“Every day in jails across the country, detainees act out and need to be subdued, much like Mr. Black on March 23. However, it is clear after watching the video that the jail employees who were tasked with subduing him did not follow proper policies and procedures, which ultimately caused his death,” the attorneys said.
“After he was already restrained, Mr. Black was tased and placed in a headlock, all while he struggled to breathe. The video clearly shows that not a single jail employee offered any life-saving measures as Mr. Black was dying right in front of them.”
The family’s legal team on Monday said they want criminal charges brought against the 10 employees “for their callous treatment of Mr. Black.”
The sheriff said that he had provided copies of video showing events that led up to the fights in the jail and Black being restrained, and said that he promised that following the criminal investigations that there would be “a thorough internal review and investigation to ensure accountability and transparency.”
A Dayton Daily News analysis of state data for 2023 showed that seven people died after being put in custody at the Montgomery County jail that year, more than at any other jail in Ohio.
Then, in 2024 another inmate died in custody after taking a gun from an officer while receiving care at Kettering Health Dayton.
The county is working toward a large-scale renovation of the jail, with plans to finish the design in May and start construction in July, to be complete by spring 2027.
