Reatha Sue Robinson Dies After Grayson County, TX Jail Incarceration

The Grayson County Sheriff’s Department, in Sherman, Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Reatha Sue Robinson. Ms. Robinson was 53 years old at the time of her death. We provide in this post information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The report indicates that Ms. Robinson was initially incarcerated on January 1, 2022. It also indicates that her medical cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver, sepsis, and pneumonia. Oddly, the report indicates that Ms. Robinson caused her own death.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“I/M Robinson was arrested on 1/1/2022 by Whitesboro PD for Driving While Intoxicated 3rd or more. She had been in Grayson County Jail custody 267 days on the date of her death. On Sept. 13th, 2022, I/M Robinson was transported by Jail vehicle to Texoma Medical Center at the request of our onsite medical staff. They had been monitoring her since the time of her arrest for on going cirrhosis of the liver. On Sept. 13th, 2022, medical staff become concerned for her health. She was physically unable to come to the food port and take her medications. After a check of her vitals signs it was requested that she be taken to Texoma Medical Center for further testing. She was admitted to TMC for complications from the cirrhosis. While she was in the hospital she was diagnosed with several other life threatening issues including sepsis and pneumonia. On Sept. 24th, 2022, doctor’s conducted an EEG to check for brain activity. No brain activity was located. Her family made the decision to remove her from life support based on the information from the hospital staff. At 639pm (1839) on September 24th, 2022, Reatha Robinson was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. Sgt. Dawn Goshorn made the appropriate notifications.”

The report provides no additional information about what medical treatment Ms. Robinson was receiving, how often she was observed, whether any medical requests made by her were honored, and/or how and when she became septic and/or had pneumonia. It is vitally important that a sepsis protocol be in place in jails to avoid death by sepsis. Likewise, typical medical examinations would disclose pneumonia. We are unable to determine from the report how long Ms. Robinson had sepsis and/or pneumonia, including whether it was undiagnosed in the jail.

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that people incarcerated in Texas county jails receive reasonable medical care. If jailers and/or medical personnel ignore inmates’ known medical needs, act unreasonably regarding those needs, and/or are deliberately indifferent regarding such needs, and a person dies as a result, then certain surviving family members may be able to file a lawsuit. Such lawsuits are typically filed in federal court. Our Texas jail neglect law firm is currently litigating a number of such cases across Texas.

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.