Man Dies in Lubbock County, Texas Jail

The Lubbock County Sheriff’s office, in Texas, filed a report regarding the jail death of Chad Douglas Farmer. Mr. Farmer was only 45 years of age at the time of his death. We provide information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“On 05/03/2021, Inmate Chad Douglas Farmer was received into the Lubbock County Detention Center and went through the Booking process. At approximately 0930 on 05/04/2021, Inmate Farmer was moved to the Medical Center housing area of the Lubbock County Detention Center. Inmate Farmer was housed in cell MC-07. At approximately 2115, Inmate Farmer was discovered unresponsive, laying in his bunk, by the officer assigned to the area. There were no visible signs of trauma or injury. Medical personnel and Officers responded to the area. Detention staff initiated CPR and the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and Emergency Medical Services were called. EMS personnel arrived at approximately 2130. EMT-P Sawyer Heugatter with EMS directed responding officers to stop CPR and the AED. EMT-P Heugatter pronounced Inmate Farmer to be deceased and announced the time of death as 2130. The Lubbock Police Department Metropolitan Unit was notified and responded for death investigation. They notified Miller Mortuary to transport the body to the morgue.”

Thus, the report provides virtually no information regarding what caused Mr. Farmer to become unresponsive and/or what caused his death. The report also provides no information about whether Mr. Farmer was being appropriately monitored and/or had received any medical treatment.

It is a constitutional right for pre-trial detainees in Texas jails to receive reasonable medical care. If an inmate does not receive medical care, and jailers are deliberately indifferent to that inmate’s known medical needs, then jailers can be liable for any injuries or death that occur as a result.

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.