The health care system that was operating at the infirmary at the time that this inmate’s continuous cries for help were seemingly ignored had been with the jail for 20 years. It has since been replaced.

Back to the narrative about the inmate—two other detainees in the same cell at the infirmary complained because the man was falling onto their beds. They heard him complain about a stomach problem or ulcer. A fellow inmate said it looked like he didn’t know how to stand up.

Meanwhile, staff members at the infirmary continued to observe the man’s dilemma, and nothing was done. Based on what witnesses said plus jail videos, the nurses disregarded the pleas for help.

One of the nurses admitted later that she refused to take the inmate’s vitals. Also, she refused to let anyone else check them. She said she did these things because she believed the inmate was detoxing and that he was loud, disruptive, and rowdy. Others strongly disputed that the inmate was behaving in a rowdy manner.

The nurse also claimed that she did not know the inmate was suffering and in pain or that he was having difficulty breathing. Others contradicted her claims. Some said there was no way the nurse didn’t see and hear the same things everyone else saw and heard.

The nurse grew weary of hearing the inmate complain that he was dying. At that point, she asked deputies to send him into a padded isolation room, which is a holding cell for inmates who are suicidal or threatening self-harm.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and ongoing installments to learn more about details of this man’s ultimate death plus additional information about other deaths in county jails in the state outside of Texas.

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–Guest Contributor