Sheriff’s Office identifies prisoner who died during transport

Following a preliminary investigative briefing from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office identified the person who died in custody while being transported to jail on Dec. 31 as Dean Allen Hendricks, 75, of Dayton.

Hendricks was arrested on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender by deputies from the LCSO Sex Offender Task Force on Dec. 31 following an anonymous tip regarding a convicted sex offender who had failed to register as required by law.

The Sheriff’s Office said it had received information in late December that Hendricks had previously been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor in Kitsap County, Wash., and had never registered as a sex offender as required by law. Members of the LCSO Sex Offender Task Force confirmed that Hendricks was convicted in 1982 of indecent liberties with a minor, the Washington equivalent of sexual assault of a child in Nevada.

The Sheriff’s Office said Hendricks was placed under arrest at 2:16 p.m. on Dec. 31 and handcuffed behind his back. The arresting deputy then escorted Hendricks inside his home to collect his required medications before placing him in the back seat of the patrol car for transport. Transport began at 2:31 p.m.

LCSO said the deputy arrived at the Silver Springs substation at 2:53 p.m. to change Hendricks’ restraints from handcuffs behind his back to waist restraints for the remainder of the trip to the jail in Yerington. The Sheriff’s Office said stopping at the Silver Springs substation during transport is a common practice because of the distances from Fernley and Dayton to Yerington.

The Sheriff’s Office said when the deputy opened the rear door of his vehicle, he found Hendricks unresponsive and not breathing. The deputy pulled Hendricks from the vehicle and began life-saving efforts. Personnel from the Central Lyon County Fire Department arrived on scene within approximately six minutes and took over life-saving efforts, but Hendricks was pronounced dead at 3:23 p.m.

LCSO said the deputy’s body camera was activated and recording throughout the entire contact with Hendricks, including the transport.

The preliminary investigation conducted by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office found no evidence of foul play, no violation of law and no violation of LCSO policy. An autopsy was conducted by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and final results are pending.