A 56 Year-Old Dies After 8 Days in Bell County Jail-2
On October 30, 2023, the Bell County Sheriff’s Office in Belton, Texas, filed a custodial death report (CDR) about Thomas Rolston. In the summary of how his death on October 19, 2023, occurred, the narrative starts by saying that Mr. Rolston was lying on his bunk inside a direct supervision housing unit when another inmate advised the officer who was working the housing unit that Mr. Rolston was not feeling well.
Recent Suicides and Other Deaths in Bell County Jail
Bell County Jail detainee Tyler Thomas Ross made a suicide attempt within minutes after being booked into the jail on July 3, 2023. Tragically, he died from his injuries about a week later. About 22% of jail suicides occurred in the first 24 hours between the years 2000-2004. That number improved between 2015 and 2019, during which time about 12% of jail suicides occurred before the second day of incarceration.
In Bell County Jail, there were at least seven custodial deaths in recent years, besides those in 2023. At least one that occurred in 2021 was deemed a self-inflicted death as a result of hanging. The detainee had entered the jail on November 25, 2019, per the custodial death report (CDR). He attempted suicide on May 5, 2021, and died from the injuries 6 days later on May 11. In the next segment of this series, learn more about the 2021 suicide at Bell County Jail. A further installment will be about the 2022 death of a detainee at Bell County Jail that was related to the use of restraints. Also, see Part 1.
One of this website’s purposes is to provide helpful resources to benefit Texas county and municipal jail detainees and their families. Implying that an individual or entity has engaged in wrongdoing is never intended.
–Guest Contributor
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