Cedric Leon Hardesty was booked into Wichita County Jail on April 17, 2021. He died there in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the age of 57 on September 13, 2021. The custodial death report does not indicate whether he had ongoing medical issues prior to being found without a pulse on the day he was pronounced dead.

Hazards Associated with Restraint Chairs Continued

Investigators discovered stories of at least nine inmates claiming that while they were strapped in a restraint chair in a county jail, they were beaten, pepper-sprayed, or tasered. In a particular facility outside Texas, multiple accusers claimed that when they were in a restraint chair, they were placed in view of passers-by with their genitals exposed. Inmates commonly claim they are not given the opportunity to go to the restroom while strapped in a restraint chair. As a result, they end up urinating and defecating on themselves.

Among the individual stories about inmates in jails outside Texas is one about a 43-year-old man who died because of injuries sustained while in a restraint chair. The man was reportedly in the chair for over 20 hours and was given no water, medication, or food. He also struck his head violently against a jail window. The man had a history of alcohol abuse as well as mental and medical health problems.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

This website never intends to make an implication of improprieties on the part of people or organizations. The posts on this site are added for the purpose of helping county jail prisoners in Texas, whether they are currently or were previously detained in a county jail facility.

–Guest Contributor