During Nicholas Whatley Jr.’s brief time at Carson County Jail in Panhandle, Texas, on August 9, 2022, Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry stopped in and observed him in a detox cell. Minutes later, the on-duty jailer observed that Mr. Whatley was lying on the floor and seemed to be having a seizure. EMS was summoned to the scene, and Mr. Whatley was life-flighted to an Amarillo hospital. Tragically, Mr. Whatley died and was declared deceased at 10:00 AM.

A Potter County Jail Inmate Dies After Being Held in Restraints in the Amarillo, Texas, Detention Center continued

Continuing with the information in the summary of how Genaro Rocha’s death occurred at Potter County Jail in Amarillo, Texas, the custodial death report (CDR) next details activity that occurred starting at 12:12 AM on August 4, 2019. At that time, jailers went to the inmate’s cell for the purpose of allowing him to exercise his limbs and assess his range of motion. Mr. Rocha persistently resisted the jailers during the range of motion exercises, and force was used to again restrain him.

Medical officers arrived at the cell and checked the inmate, obtained his blood pressure, and cleared him to again be positioned in the restraint system. Immediately after he was placed back in the restraint system and before any of the medical officers or jailers left the cell, Mr. Rocha became unresponsive. Those present removed the restraint system from him, and medical officers performed an assessment. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation was started at about 12:34 AM. Efforts to revive Mr. Rocha continued until personnel with emergency medical services pronounced the time of his death at 1:12 AM.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series. Next, learn details about the custodial death of Daniel Luis Martinez.

This website’s mission is to reach out to Texas municipal and county jail inmates and provide potentially helpful resources. There is never an intention on this site of implicating people or entities in acts of wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor