Jefferson County, Texas Sheriff’s Department Files Prisoner Death Report

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, in Beaumont, Texas, filed a custodial death report with Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas.  The report provided information regarding the death of Jeremy Keith Scott.  Mr. Scott was only 36 years of age at the time of his death, and we provide information in this post obtained from that report.  We make no allegation of any wrongdoing anyone related to Mr. Scott’s death.

Mr. Scott was booked into the Jefferson County jail in Texas on October 15, 2019 at approximately 10:25 p.m.  It was apparent to one or more jailers that Mr. Scott was highly intoxicated on some substance, possibly PCP.  Therefore, Mr. Scott was housed in a single-person cell due to his agitated state.  The report provides no information whether Mr. Scott was provided any treatment for detoxification and/or his intoxicated state.

On October 17, 2019, Mr. Scott was charged with a criminal offense.  October 21, 2019, Mr. Scott complained of nausea and vomiting and was treated by medical staff.  Mr. Scott complained again of nausea and vomiting, as well as diarrhea and weakness, on October 22, 2019. At approximately 3:00 p.m. that day, Mr. Scott was moved to the jail infirmary and placed on a bed in front of the nurses’ station.

At approximately 9:15 p.m., on October 22, 2019, Mr. Scott became unresponsive.  CPR was initiated, and Mr. Scott was transported to a local hospital.  He was pronounced deceased at 11:07 p.m.

Without regard to what happened to Mr. Scott, Texas inmates are entitled to reasonable medical care.  Jailers cannot act in an objectively unreasonable manner and/or be deliberately indifferent to medical needs of county jail prisoners.  If they are, and someone dies as a result, then jailers can be held responsible, pursuant to the United States Constitution, to certain surviving family members.  The guarantee of reasonable medical care arises under the 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

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.