Their son died in jail

On January 4, Della and Joseph A. Scata Jr. of Vista filed suit against the county. The suit charges that their son, Joseph A. Scata Jr., had had chest pains, flu, and related symptoms on October 31 while confined to the Vista Detention Facility.

Although he was "gravely ill," according to the suit, he was not given medical treatment and not taken to a doctor or a hospital. He died November 23 of emphysema and acute bronchopneumonia. His parents charge civil rights violations and medical negligence.

In 1990, when Scata Jr. was 29 years old, he went on a rampage in downtown Vista, smashing windows in 13 businesses and smashing a computer in another.