Buncombe County settles with family of man who died in Sheriff's deputy custody for $1.25M
ASHEVILLE - Buncombe County has reached a $1.25 million settlement with the family of a man who died after being tased by Buncombe County Sheriff's deputies.
Matthew Maienza, who was found naked, "assaulted" a deputy and was "tased twice" after 911 calls in April 2020 from an Avery's Creek neighborhood, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. Maienza then ran away, but was later taken into custody, at which point he became "unresponsive" and was administered Narcan and given CPR. He was taken to Mission Hospital but died the next day, the release says.
Following a SBI investigation, deputies involved were cleared of charges by the district attorney's office, according to the release.
Public records say that Maienza was 41 and lived in Arden.
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"I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Maienza," Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said in a statement.
This story will be updated.
Ryan Oehrli covers public safety, breaking news, courts and other beats for the Citizen Times. Comments? Questions? Tips? Send them to coehrli@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County settles with man's family for in-custody death
