Woman Dies in Custody of San Antonio Police Department

The San Antonio Police Department recently filed a report with the Attorney General of Texas regarding the custodial death of Charlene Marie Kurkowski. Ms. Kurkowski was 57 years of age at the time of her death.

San Antonio police were dispatched to Ms. Kurkowski’s home. Police found Ms. Kurkowski to be very intoxicated and involved in an argument with her husband. Officers, after resolving issues in Ms. Kurkowski’s home, asked that she return to the inside of her house. She refused. Therefore, officers arrested her for public intoxication. She was then taken to the City of San Antonio Detention Center.

City of San Antonio Detention Center personnel searched Ms. Kurkowski, and she was allegedly cleared by nursing staff. She was then escorted into a cell at 8:30 p.m. on May 17, 2018. She was the only prisoner in the cell.

A Detention Center guard allegedly made a cell check 15 minutes later – at 8:45 p.m. – and Ms. Kurkowski was allegedly found without any harm. Afterward, she, according to surveillance video, walked to the left rear of the cell and wrapped a telephone cord around her neck. She then sat on the floor with her back against the wall and appeared to lean forward into the cord. She apparently remained in that position for 12-13 minutes before an officer found her with the cord wrapped around her neck. When an officer entered the cell and removed the cord, Ms. Kurkowski fell forward and her forehead hit the floor. San Antonio Detention Center nurses then entered the cell and began performing CPR. Ms. Kurkowski passed away apparently as a result of her injuries.

Approximate 3 years ago, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards sent a memorandum to all sheriffs and all county jail administrators in the State of Texas warning them about having phones in the cells of prisoners with telephone cords that exceeded a relatively short length. We are uncertain as to whether the City of San Antonio was aware of that notice. Nevertheless, common sense would dictate that inmates who might commit suicide in a cell not be placed into a cell with a lengthy telephone cord. It is well known that people who are severely intoxicated, whether through use of drugs or alcohol, might take actions which they would not normally take (such as committing suicide).

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