Controversial firm cleared of wrongdoing

The Orange County District Attorney's office said they have found no evidence of misconduct by for-profit prison firm The Geo Group.

That having been said, the Geo Group, who has been plagued with lawsuits has been found not guilty in the 2012 death of Joel Duran.

Those close to the case say it all started when Duran taken into custody by the Garden Grove Police Department for resisting arrest.  He died less than three hours later.

How the events unfolded

The defendant was taken to the local jail in order to be booked and processed.  When he arrived, GEO employees noticed he had something in his mouth- and they extracted several bags of methamphetamine.

They asked Duran if he'd swallowed any others, but he said no.   He was then transferred to a cell that didn't have a drinking fountain, where he started to sweat and began asking for water.

Although the officers believed he was under the influence, Duran denied ingesting any drugs.  An hour later, his condition became much worse, and paramedics were called to the scene.

The defendant was taken to a local hospital where his pulse was clocked at more than 190 beats per minute.  He suffered a fatal heart attack a short time later.

His official cause of death was listed as meth overdose.

The district attorney's office reportedly said Geo Group employees behaved appropriately and cleared all those involved of any potential charges.