JAIL FAIL: The Murder of Christian Black

On March 26, 2025, Christian Black died in the Montgomery County Jail.

Let’s get this straight: Christian didn’t die because he was difficult, loud, or high-strung. He didn’t die because he banged his head on the door or because officers feared for their safety. Christian Black died because a jail full of people paid to protect life didn’t know how to handle a human being in crisis, and didn’t care enough to learn.

The names they didn’t want you to know

You read it here first on Esrati.com:

On April 30, 2025, the Montgomery County Jail placed ten people on administrative leave:
Sgts. Craig Eaton and Joe Solomon, and Corrections Officers Drake, Hartman, Wheatley, C. Jones, Bittinger, Holley, Marercak, and Patel.

Dayton Police, tasked with the investigation, are now asking for murder charges. The coroner ruled the cause of death mechanical and positional asphyxia.

They had full access to the bodycams, the incident reports, interviews. I only have access to the jail cams- some without sound, and all with mediocre views.

Christian Black was effectively crushed to death: pepper sprayed, tased, bent forward in a restraint chair, his back crushed down onto his knees for 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Then they waited over four and a half minutes before even attempting CPR, and even then, no proper airway check, no oxygen, no AED. A teenaged pool lifeguard is better trained.

A deadly pattern. And they knew it

This didn’t come out of nowhere.

Nine years ago, I made a video exposing the pepper-spraying of Charles Alexander Wade — restrained in the same kind of chair, cuffed, bent forward, body weight pressing down, gasping for breath.

Nothing changed.

In fact, according to insiders, the jail only began training on the proper use of the restraint chair two weeks after Christian Black died. For at least twenty years, they’ve been doing it wrong, ignoring the built-in tether system that allows you to safely unshackle an inmate without folding their body in half.

A house of horrors, protected by nepotism

The problems go deeper than training.

Sgt. Joe Solomon isn’t just a random name, he’s the nephew of former Sheriff Phil Plummer. Sgt. Craig Eaton? The cousin of current Sheriff Rob Streck.

This is what I’ve called for years the Monarchy of Montgomery County — where power circulates among insiders, families, and friends, insulated from accountability.

Plummer got caught hiring his sister, Joe’s Mama (Sorry- I couldn’t resist) back in 2010 on an ethics violation. See “Public officials can’t use relatives for work, says ethics commission.” But, reality is, even then, “42 percent of all 31 elected Montgomery County officials have relatives working for the county” according to our worthless “newspaper” that never credits other news outlets for breaking stories.

And while Sheriff Streck may issue public apologies, we have to ask: Why is this jail still open? Why are these people still in charge?

What the coroner’s report reveals

Christian Black, 25 years old, 284 lbs, 72 inches tall.
Cause of death: homicide, by mechanical and positional asphyxia.
Brain swelling. Cardiac stress. Multiple bruises, abrasions, blunt force injuries. No alcohol or drugs beyond THC and naloxone, the latter administered by medics.

The coroner’s report leaves no doubt: this was no accident. It was system failure.

We’ve seen this play before

Let me be clear: this is not just about Christian Black.

This is about the repeated injuries, repeated deaths, repeated acts of cruelty flowing from a leadership that has failed, a culture that has rotted, and a system that has abandoned its obligation to humanity.

As I say in the video:

At Nuremberg, we learned no one can hide behind “just following orders.”
At My Lai, we learned the uniform offers no cover for cruelty.
And from the Birmingham jail, Dr. King reminded us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

The choice for Montgomery County

The County has two choices:

• Turn over the administration of this jail to competent, independent troubleshooters who will clean house and restore lawful care.
• Or shut it down. Condemn it. Admit that it is unfit for human habitation.

This is not a call for vengeance. This is a call for accountability, for reform, and for the restoration of the dignity of every human life, no matter how troubled, no matter how difficult.

There can be no more waiting.

It would also be criminal not to charge the Sheriff, the former Sheriff, and the command staff with complicity in this travesty.

Final word

You won’t read this in the Dayton Daily News. You won’t hear it on WHIO. But you’ll hear it here — because that’s what real journalism demands. I show you the inhumanity coupled with gross incompetence, and get to the details of not just what happened, but how it happened. This project was on an incredibly tight time frame, and funded out of my pocket. If you think this video and this kind of reporting is important, please consider a donation.

Just today, I got a call from a reader saying that he didn’t always agree with me, but he was thankful that I do this kind of journalism.

Watch the full video and see for yourself.
We have a moral duty to stand up, speak out, and refuse to let one more man die this way.