Michael Watson Dies on 8/11/24 in Freestone County Jail Texas
Forty-nine-year-old Michael Tron Watson was booked into Freestone County Jail in Fairfield, Texas, on June 29, 2024. Mr. Watson was placed in a multiple occupancy cell. He died of unknown causes in the jail on August 11, 2024. A custodial death report (CDR) was filed by the Freestone County Sheriff’s Department on September 30, 2024, under the direction of Sheriff Jeremy Shipley. The CDR indicates that at the time of booking, Mr. Watson appeared to be intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. He also exhibited mental health issues and medical problems as he went through intake. Mr. Watson was housed in a multiple-occupancy cell when jail staff discovered that he was not breathing/unresponsive.
The address of Freestone County Jail is 03 S. Keechi Street in Fairfield, Texas 75840. The jail has a 44-bed capacity.
An Inmate Dies Unnecessarily in a Colorado County Jail
In a news story published September 30, 2024, a family seeks to hold a Colorado County jail responsible for the death of their loved one. The 22-year-old was suffering from a staph infection when he entered the jail. The jail medical staff was provided with details from the young man’s hospital visit, which showed that he had a staph infection. Trained medical staff should know that without antibiotics, he was likely to develop a deadly case of sepsis, says the family.
At the onset of symptoms of sepsis, if treatment is provided, the survival rate is close to 100%. Sadly, jails are often found to have delayed responses to inmates’ medical needs, even when detainees need lifesaving treatment. In cases of deaths involving sepsis, the denial of medical care is implied and should always be investigated.
The Medical Examiner in a California County Rules an Inmate Death a Homicide by Negligence
In September 2023, a detainee in a county outside Texas suffered from diabetic ketoacidosis and died in his cell due to insufficient insulin. It was noted in the Medical Examiner’s (ME’s) report that the man’s insulin pump alarm was going off for nearly 24 hours. The jail’s medical records on file for the deceased showed his insulin requirements and when his pump would be depleted.
An investigation found that one September day he was given 10 units of insulin. However, the next day his blood sugar was dangerously high. The detainee refused the dose, saying that it was too low. A nurse put in a request for a new insulin order, and the inmate was allegedly not seen by jail medical staff for the next 19 hours. The cause of his death, per the Medical Examiner, was homicide by medical neglect
Is Assistance Available for Cases of Jail Negligence?
A recent study found that nearly 70% of inmates in county and municipal jails with chronic health conditions are denied proper medical care—an alarming figure. If you’ve experienced life-altering injuries due to jail neglect or abuse or if you’ve lost a family member to neglect while they were incarcerated, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible. The Offices of Dean Malone has a team dedicated to custodial death cases and years of experience in handling cases of jail abuse and medical neglect.
Feel free to contact us for a free consultation. We’re available 24/7. Call or text us today or reach out through our online form.
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