Texas Attorney – A Travis County Jail Inmate Who Allegedly Punched a Police Horse is Found Dead in his Cell
On Sunday, July 9, 2017, Forty-three-year-old Eloy Villanueva was discovered dead in his cell at Travis County Jail at about noon. Within an hour, he was pronounced dead. Villanueva was arrested the previous day on public intoxication and obstruction charges. His death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers and detectives with the sheriff’s department. Back in April 2017, Villanueva had allegedly struck a police horse in the face.
With regard to Villanueva’s arrest in April, an affidavit showed that mounted police officers saw him stumbling around at about 10 pm on Fifth Street. They approached him, and discovered that he could hardly stand and was badly slurring his words. Authorities summoned medical crews, and the man collapsed in the meantime.
According to police officers, Villanueva suddenly got up after several minutes. He started petting a police horse named Moonshine. He suddenly and with no warning pulled back and punched the horse in the face, the affidavit alleges.
Jail records indicate that on July 5, Villanueva made a negotiated plea agreement for attempted interference with a service animal. He was released on time served after being sentenced to 90 days in jail.
The latest charge Villanueva was arrested for was unrelated to the incident in April.
Two people have now died in custody at Travis County Jail this year, the first being 21-year-old Herman Titus, who died on June 19. According to authorities, he had been jailed on charges of parole violation and intoxication assault since May 23.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh