The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department filed a custodial death report on Anthony Lee Villarreal on October 12, 2021, about his October 10, 2021, death that occurred while he was in the custody of the county jail. The report shows that he had been in a restraint chair shortly before his death. 

Stories frequently emerge about mistreatment associated with restraint chairs in jails and prisons. In a recent story from a state outside of Texas, several individuals have exposed mistreatment that they experienced under the direction of the County Sheriff. Each of the individuals who shared their stories is claiming that the chair was used as a form of punishment.

In each story, fingers are pointed at the sheriff himself. He supposedly instructed several of the former inmates to urinate on themselves when they asked to use the restroom. Each also claims that they were not strapped into the chair for the valid reason of having acted out in a potentially dangerous way. Instead, they were put in the chair randomly and not as a result of threatening their own or anyone else’s safety.

Restraint chairs look similar to an incline bench press and a wheelchair combined. Straps are used to immobilize the feet, arms, and torso. 

In the same state alluded to above, a college student was found dead in a restraint chair. Video footage revealed that, while in the chair, he was tased numerous times.

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

On this website, it is not intended for a person or institution to be implicated in any type of wrongdoing. The posts here are added to help current and previous inmates detained in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor