(L.A.) Ethan Slimak, 44, Ended His Life
Case Number: 2023-11755
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 44-year-old White/Caucasian male that occurred at a residence.
The coroner’s office has identified the man as Ethan Slimak. Height 5 feet 11 inches. Weight: 175 pounds
Manner of Death: Suicide
Cause of Death: Hanging
RIP ETHAN ANDREW SLIMAK (June 25, 1979 – September 3, 2023)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 5:19 p.m.
The decedent was arrested by LAPD’s Devonshire division on July 26, for a felony. He was released under 849(B)(1) of the California Penal Code, which permits police to release arrestees from custody without first being arraigned if there are insufficient grounds to make a criminal complaint.
California law requires suspects who are arrested without a warrant to be brought before a magistrate judge. But under California Penal Code 849(b) PC, there are five cases where police may release these arrestees from custody without seeing a magistrate first:
1. The police believe there is not enough evidence to go forward with a criminal complaint.
2. The suspect’s only offense was public intoxication.
3. The suspect’s only offense was being under the influence of drugs, and he/she was delivered to a treatment facility.
4. The suspect was arrested and taken to a facility for mental health evaluation and substance abuse disorders.
5. The suspect was arrested for DUI and was taken to a hospital (the suspect will likely face DUI charges later on).
Therefore, police have a large degree of discretion when deciding whether to keep certain arrestees in custody or not. For instance, public intoxication is technically a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail potentially. But if a person is committing no crime other than being intoxicated, the police can choose to keep them until they sober up and release them without further legal repercussions.
The full text of the statute reads as follows:
849(b). A peace officer may release from custody, instead of taking the person before a magistrate, a person arrested without a warrant in the following circumstances:
(1) The officer is satisfied that there are insufficient grounds for making a criminal complaint against the person arrested.
(2) The person arrested was arrested for intoxication only, and no further proceedings are desirable.
(3) The person was arrested only for being under the influence of a controlled substance or drug and the person is delivered to a facility or hospital for treatment and no further proceedings are desirable.
(4) The person was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the person is delivered to a hospital for medical treatment that prohibits immediate delivery before a magistrate.
(5) The person was arrested and subsequently delivered to a hospital or other urgent care facility, including, but not limited to, a facility for the treatment of co-occurring substance use disorders, for mental health evaluation and treatment, and no further proceedings are desirable.