Smith County Jail inmate Charlie Humphries was immediately transported by ambulance to Christus Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler, Texas, after his pulse was restored. Upon arrival, Mr. Humphries lost vital signs, and medical personnel said that he suffered a massive stroke. Lifesaving measures were again attempted, but he was pronounced deceased at 11:48 PM on March 23, 2023.

Jail Inspection Report for Smith County Jail Dated 3/22-24/22 Continued

Rule §273.6(3)-Restraints

Inmates who are being held in a restraint must be observed every 15 minutes, at a minimum. The observations must be documented and must include an assessment of the circulation to the extremities and the security of the restraint.

• The observation log for the restraint chair was reviewed, and it was observed that the jail staff exceeded the 15-minute observations on multiple occasions by 1 to 10 minutes.

Rule §275.2-Jailers Training and Licensing

Staff members employed or appointed as jailers of county jails or personnel employed, assigned, or appointed to directly supervise jailers shall be licensed as per the requirements of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement under the provisions of Part 7 of this title.

• While inspecting Smith County Jail, it was determined via TCOLE records that a detention officer’s temporary jailers license expired on December 20, 2021. The officer continued to work without a valid TCOLE license from December 20, 2021, until February 9, 2022.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

This website is a resource for Texas prisoners in city and county jails. Making accusations that an individual or institution is a participant in wrongs is never intended.

–Guest Contributor