In November 2019, Deputy Blount was involved in the death of David Ward, who was mistakenly identified as driving a stolen vehicle. Blount attempted to forcibly remove Ward from the car, resulting in a struggle where Ward was Tasered and placed in a neck restraint, leading to his death. The county settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $3.8 million. Blount retired before the completion of his termination process and was later acquitted of involuntary manslaughter charges in February 2022.
[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/deputy-charles-blount-sonoma-county-sheriffs-department/)
.
