Reports
Alisa A. Gregory is the elected sheriff of Henrico County, Virginia. Henrico County’s official biography says Gregory was elected sheriff in November 2019, reelected in November 2023, and oversees two jail facilities with a staff of more than 400. The same official page says she began her Sheriff’s Office career in 1998 as a deputy at Jail East. Source: Henrico County Sheriff biography.
This entry is tied to the civil wrongful-death record filed on September 18, 2023, after the death of Irvo Otieno. OpenOversight VA lists case number CL23006331-00 as Ochieng, Leon Dennis / Otieno, Irvo Noel / Estate Of Otieno, Irvo Noel v. Commonwealth Of Virginia / County Of Henrico / Gregory, Alisa A. The record lists the filing nature as wrongful death, the filed date as September 18, 2023, the termination date as September 19, 2023, the disposition as settlement, the judgment as plaintiff, the department as Henrico County Sheriff’s Office, and Alisa A. Gregory as the officer involved. Source: OpenOversight VA lawsuit record.
The underlying death occurred months earlier. The Associated Press reported that Irvo Otieno, 28, died in March 2023 after being pressed to the floor of Central State Hospital for about 11 minutes by Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital employees while he was being admitted to the psychiatric hospital. AP reported that Otieno’s death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation. Source: Associated Press settlement report.
Lawsuit And Settlement
On September 20, 2023, NBC12 reported that Otieno’s family reached an $8.5 million wrongful-death settlement with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Henrico County, and the Henrico sheriff. NBC12 reported that a judge approved the settlement the previous Tuesday. Source: NBC12 settlement report.
The Associated Press reported that the settlement agreement said the state, county, and sheriff did not admit liability and denied that their actions caused Otieno’s death, while agreeing to collectively pay the $8.5 million to Otieno’s family and attorneys. Source: Associated Press settlement report.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Mark Krudys announced that a Virginia Circuit Court judge approved a wrongful-death settlement between Otieno’s family and Henrico County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Henrico County Sheriff. Their statement said the family was pleased to resolve the matter outside court in a way that honored Otieno’s life. Source: Ben Crump Law settlement announcement.
Charges
No source reviewed for this story reported that Sheriff Alisa A. Gregory was criminally charged.
Separate from Gregory, AP reported in March 2023 that seven Henrico County Sheriff’s Office employees were charged with second-degree murder in connection with Otieno’s death at Central State Hospital. AP identified the deputies charged at that time as Randy Joseph Boyer, Dwayne Alan Bramble, Jermaine Lavar Branch, Bradley Thomas Disse, Tabitha Renee Levere, Brandon Edwards Rodgers, and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders. Source: Associated Press March 2023 report.
AP later reported that the remaining involuntary manslaughter charges against Henrico deputies Kaiyell Sanders and Brandon Rodgers were dropped in November 2024. AP also reported that prosecutors had earlier downgraded charges against Sanders, Rodgers, and hospital security staffer Wavie Jones, and that a jury found Jones not guilty in October 2024. Source: Associated Press November 2024 report.
Convictions
The sources reviewed for this story did not report any criminal conviction of Alisa A. Gregory. AP’s November 2024 report stated that the last pending charges against two Henrico deputies were dropped, and NBC12 reported that a judge approved a prosecutor’s motion to set aside charges against the two remaining suspects in Otieno’s death. Sources: Associated Press November 2024 report and NBC12 November 2024 report.
Official Statements
On March 14, 2023, Sheriff Gregory issued a statement through Henrico County extending condolences to Otieno’s family and friends. She said the seven deputies who were transferring custody of Otieno had been placed on administrative leave pending the Commonwealth’s cases, that the Sheriff’s Office was cooperating with the Virginia State Police investigation, and that the office was conducting its own independent review. Source: Henrico County statement by Sheriff Gregory.
Allegations
The civil wrongful-death record and settlement reports connect Gregory to the case in her official capacity as Henrico County sheriff. The story should not be read as a claim that Gregory was personally convicted, criminally charged, or found personally liable by a trial verdict. The settlement was reached without an admission of liability by the state, county, or sheriff, according to AP.
Uncorroborated Claims
This story does not rely on uncorroborated social-media claims. It is based on the lawsuit index record, court-settlement reporting, official statements, and news reports linked above.
