More than a month after the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced the “unexpected death” of a deputy, medical examiner records now show he died from the effects of methamphetamine.
Deputy Jonathan Stewart was found unresponsive at the South Los Angeles sheriff's station late April 27, according to news reports at the time. Paramedics were called but the 41-year-old man died at the scene. The department offered few details about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Now, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's website attributes the cause of Stewart's death to the “effects of methamphetamine.” The site does not list any secondary or contributing causes, but indicates that the death was ruled an accident and the case is still open.
It was unclear whether officials found drug paraphernalia or illicit substances at the scene of Stewart's death. The medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to further questions Thursday morning.
A Sheriff's Department spokesperson had no immediate comment.
Stewart joined the Sheriff's Department in 2006 and then worked at the Inmate Reception Center before transferring to the Los Angeles South Station in 2014. The department previously said he became a field training officer in 2020 and held that position. placed until his death. He is survived by his wife and three children.
“Jonathan dedicated a decade to serving the South Los Angeles community,” the department said in a statement in April. “He was respected and highly appreciated by his colleagues and supervisors for his unwavering commitment.”
At that time, the Association. The Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff's Department launched an online fundraiser to support Stewart's widow and children.
His death came days before a sheriff's deputy with the department's gang task force was arrested for allegedly smuggling heroin into a county jail, according to booking records and multiple law enforcement sources.
