Denton County, Texas Jail Inmate Dies Following Allegedly Ingesting Drugs

On or about September 5, 2017, Stephen Ryan McCormack, only 35 years of age at the time, passed away after being incarcerated in the Denton County, Texas jail.  Information provided in this post was obtained from a custodial death report filed by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office with the Attorney General of Texas.

Mr. McCormack was transported on or about August 30, 2017 from the Lewisville City Jail to the Denton County Jail by the Lewisville Police Department.  Mr. McCormack allegedly denied any current or past medical issues at the time of intake at the Denton County Jail, and allegedly did not require medical attention at that time.  Mr. McCormack also allegedly denied being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Nearly two hours later, Mr. McCormack became ill and allegedly admitted to ingesting GHB.  Jail medical staff allegedly evaluated him and placed him on heightened awareness time checks for chemical/substance abuse withdrawals, and moreover moved him from a holding cell to a safety cell for observation.

About three hours later, jail staff found Mr. McCormack unresponsive.  Jail staff attempted to revive Mr. McCormack.  Ultimately, and EMS personnel transported him to a hospital.  He was then on a ventilator and in grave condition.  He was “released” from the custody of the Denton County Sheriff’s Department on or about September 1, 2017 and ultimately passed away on September 5, 2017.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.