Newly released jail video is raising fresh questions about use of force inside the Sacramento County Main Jail, showing a February 2023 struggle where a man repeatedly screams that his arm has been broken while deputies hold him down.
The man, identified in deputies’ reports as Timothy Adger, is heard yelling in pain during a Feb. 18, 2023 intake as deputies restrain him. The clips, which include both body-worn and facility camera footage, were posted this week as part of a transparency release required under state law.
How the sheriff released the footage
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office posted the videos and reports under California Senate Bill 16 on its online "Released Cases" transparency portal. The listing links to a release packet that includes multiple video clips from different angles along with incident paperwork the agency chose to make public.
What the videos show
According to The Sacramento Bee, the footage shows deputies placing a spit mask over Adger’s head, then grabbing his arms and applying what they describe as a control hold inside a narrow, walled area known as a "patbox." In the recordings, Adger can be heard shouting, "He broke my arm. Help," as deputies escort and photograph him before moving him into a sobering cell.
Deputies’ accounts
Records posted on the sheriff’s transparency portal identify the custodial deputies involved as Spenser Heichlinger and Trenton Howze. In his written narrative, Howze says he moved to "pin (Adger) to the left wall of the patbox" in an effort to gain control of Adger’s arms, adding that he feared Adger might strike him.
Heichlinger, in the same packet, characterizes the maneuver as an "unintentional dual-control hold," according to the release from the Sheriff’s Office.
Medical response and custody status
In another portion of the clips, a jail nurse is heard telling deputies, "we have to have him x-rayed if that’s the problem," referring to Adger’s complaints about his arm. The video then shows deputies lifting Adger into a van for transport to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Court and jail records reviewed by The Sacramento Bee indicate that Adger later pleaded out to the 2023 charges tied to his intake and is currently being held in lieu of $1,000,000 bail in a separate case.
Oversight and accountability
The Sheriff’s Office release does not include any findings from its internal investigation into the encounter. On its public site, The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office states that it independently reviews officer-involved shootings and other serious uses of force to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
The Adger footage lands amid a series of other transparency releases involving the Main Jail that have already led to internal probes and discipline for deputies. Those earlier incidents and the growing scrutiny of jail practices have been covered by KCRA and other local outlets.
What to watch next
The District Attorney’s office may ultimately issue a written review or letter outlining its legal conclusions about the incident, and the sheriff’s internal affairs unit could later release administrative findings on whether deputies followed policy.
Any formal reports, new court filings or public statements from county officials could clarify how authorities view the force used on Adger. We will track those developments and update coverage if additional information is released.
