Houston Man Dies in Jail After Arrest
The Houston Police Department recently filed a report regarding the custodial death of Richard Edgerton. Mr. Edgerton was 49 years of age at the time of his death. We provide information obtained from that report, and we make no allegations of any wrongdoing against anyone related to Mr. Edgerton’s death.
Mr. Edgerton was arrested on September 5, 2019 for open warrants. One or more officers found Mr. Edgerton to be in possession of heroin. Mr. Edgerton was booked into the Harris County Joint Processing Center.
The following day, Mr. Edgerton was seen on security cameras in his cell. At some point, Mr. Edgerton rolled over onto his side and off of the bed onto his face. The report is unclear as to whether such observations were made after Mr. Edgerton’s death, by reviewing video, or at the time of the events. Regardless, the report says that a detention officer ultimately found Mr. Edgerton on the floor and unresponsive. This occurred during a routine check. Mr. Edgerton was transferred to St. Joseph Hospital where he was pronounced as being deceased.
The report indicates that autopsy results are pending, although a urine sample indicated that Mr. Edgerton had opiates and methamphetamines in his system. The report provides few details about what if any knowledge arresting officers or jailers had regarding Mr. Edgerton apparently having ingested drugs.
Without regard to Mr. Edgerton’s situation, generally, Texas jailers and police officers have constitutional duties to obtain reasonable medical care for an arrestee or an inmate, if they are aware that the arrestee or inmate has ingested illegal drugs. If jailers or police officers fail to do so, and are deliberately indifferent to such a person’s needs, and the person dies, then police officers and/or jailers can be liable to certain surviving family members. Such rights are guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone