Enrique Hernandez Dies After 3 Months in Midland County Jail

Enrique Hernandez was booked into Midland County Jail on May 25, 2024. Mr. Hernandez died in the jail’s custody on August 29, 2024, at 22 years of age. A custodial death report (CDR) was filed by the Midland County Sheriff’s Department on September 3, 2024, under the direction of Sheriff David Criner. Mr. Hernandez’s autopsy results are awaited. However, the CDR provides helpful information. For instance, Mr. Hernandez made suicidal statements and exhibited mental health problems when he entered the jail.

In answer to the question of his medical cause of death, the CDR states that Mr. Hernandez was in a padded cell. He jumped back and struck his head on the floor. Officers found him and, although he was breathing, he was unresponsive. He was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital.

Details continue in the summary of how his death occurred, but no dates or times are included. It begins by stating that Mr. Hernandez was on suicide watch and had been placed in a violent cell. His actions were caught on camera and viewed at a later time. While in the violent cell, he attempted to do what appeared to be a backflip, and he landed on the side of his head.

Mr. Hernandez was being cleared out of the padded cell and was in the process of being moved back to his previous housing while remaining on suicide watches. However, it was discovered that he was unresponsive to stimuli at this time. At this point, he was transported to the Midland Memorial Hospital, where it was discovered that he had an inoperable brain hemorrhage. He was flown via helicopter to Lubbock Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased 2 days later.

The address of Midland County Jail is 400 S Main St, Midland, TX 79701. The jail has an 800-bed capacity.

Failed Jail Inspections at Midland County Jail Reveal Danger to Inmates

Since 2020, Midland County Jail in Midland, Texas, has been found non-compliant at least five times. On two of those jail inspection reports, inspectors with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards discovered areas of neglect that could potentially result in harm to detainees.

Earlier this year, on March 28, 2024, a non-compliance letter was sent to Midland County Jail after completion of a jail inspection on March 25 and 26. On April 3, 2023, another failed jail inspection showed a specific area of potential jail neglect, as well. See the respective details below:

Observation logs provided showed that jail staff was not conducting the required 30-minute checks of the detainees in holding cells.
Inspectors found that restraint chair documentation revealed that on 38 occasions, detainees were placed in restraint chair systems where there was no documentation of the required 15-minute face-to-face observations.

Is Help Available for Jail Medical Neglect and Suicide Cases?

According to a recent study, about 68% of detainees in county and city jails with chronic medical conditions do not receive adequate care while behind bars—a shocking statistic. If you’ve faced serious health problems due to medical neglect or other forms of neglect in a municipal or county jail, or if a loved one has passed away as a result of neglect or suicide while incarcerated in local jail facilities, we urge you to contact us. Our firm has significant experience in handling jail neglect cases, with a dedicated team focused on custodial death cases.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a free case review. We are available 24/7 by phone, text, or via our online form.

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