Suit filed against Bernalillo County for Inmate Assaulted in Jail
A dispute between two Bernalillo County jail inmates over a tablet computer led to a beating in 2020 that left one man severely injured, according to a lawsuit filed against the county.
Matthew Perales, 28, suffered severe head injuries that required multiple brain surgeries and a lengthy stay in the University of New Mexico Hospital intensive care unit, according to the suit, which alleges negligence by Metropolitan Detention Center staff.
The beating occurred in April 2020 while Perales was in jail awaiting trial on vehicle theft and other charges.
The suit was filed in 2nd Judicial District Court against Bernalillo County and county commissioners. County officials did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
The beating occurred in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when inmates were frequently in lockdown and MDC restricted their use of phone calls, resulting in competition among inmates for a limited number of tablet computers.
Due to limited access to phones, “the tablet computers became the inmates’ principal means of communication with the outside world” during lockdowns, the suit alleges.
