Man Dies in Smith County, Texas After Being in Custody of the Smith County Sheriff’s Office

Quincy Butler, 44 years of age, died after being in the custody of the Smith County Sheriff’s Office according to a custodial death report filed by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office with the Attorney General of Texas.  Information in this post was obtained from that custodial death report.  We make no allegations of any wrongdoing but are simply providing information.

Mr. Butler was found hanging in a jail cell on November 8, 2017.  Mr. Butler had been in the Smith County, Texas jail since November 2, 2017.  Emergency medical services and the Tyler Fire Department responded and attempted to save Mr. Butler’s life.  Mr. Butler was transported by EMS to a local hospital, being in critical condition.  Mr. Butler was ultimately removed from life support on November 21, 2017 and passed away.

Mr. Butler was segregated in a cell due to allegedly being a danger to other inmates, and he was also on suicide watch due to answers recorded during his initial booking.  Those answers indicated to Smith County that he was a suicide risk.  He was on a ten-minute observation schedule, and he had allegedly been checked nine minutes prior to being observed hanging.  The Texas Rangers, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, are conducting an independent investigation.

Mr. Butler’s death demonstrates why anything sort of continuous monitoring of inmates that are at risk of committing suicide is insufficient.  A federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge wrote as much, approximately 25 years ago, regarding a case against a county in Texas.  Jails should be required to continuously monitor inmates who are a significant risk of harming themselves and others.  Until they do so, suicides will unfortunately continue.

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.