Marin County Sheriff?s Office
Coroner Division

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT: Roger G. Fielding
Chief Deputy Coroner
415-473-6043

May 14, 2020

Sonoma County In-Custody Death Investigation of Dave Glen WARD

On November 27, 2019, the Marin County Sheriff?s Office Coroner Division was requested to complete a
medicolegal death investigation at the request of the Sonoma County Sheriff?s Office involving a subject,
Dave Glen Ward, who died shortly after being taken into custody of law enforcement at the termination of a
vehicle pursuit.

On November 27, 2019, at 0717 hours, Mr. Ward was pronounced deceased in the Emergency Department of
Petaluma Valley Hospital, Petaluma.

 

After completing our investigation, the following CAUSE OF DEATH has been determined by Chief Forensic
Pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen:

0 Cardiorespiratory Collapse
Blunt Impact Injuries, Neck Restraint and Application of Conducted Energy Device
0 Physical Confrontation with Law Enforcement

Other s_ignificant conditions contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause given:

 

Acute Methamphetamine Intoxication; Chronic Substance Abuse; Hypertensive and
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Pulmonary
Hypertension and Cor Pulmonale, Clinical; Remote Head Trauma (Status Post Craniotomy);
Bipolar Disorder/ Schizophrenia, by History.

Upon the conclusion of the death investigation, the MODE of DEATH has been determined to be:

 

Homicide