Commissioner calls for federal investigation into Tarrant County jail after 5 inmate deaths this year

FORT WORTH, Texas - Five people have died this year while in the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.

The most recent death was announced this past weekend.

Now, a Tarrant County commissioner is raising concerns.

The Tarrant County sheriff says the inmate, 31-year-old Anthony Ray Johnson Jr., died Sunday after he was pepper-sprayed during a fight with jailers.  The incident is said to have occurred during a routine search for contraband.

A statement released by the department said Johnson "refused to exit his cell and allow the area to be searched. The inmate began to fight the officers, and oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray was deployed to assist in bringing the inmate under control."

It goes on to say that "during the examination, the inmate became unresponsive."

Johnson is the fifth inmate to die inside the Tarrant County jail this year.

The Texas Rangers are investigating Johnson’s death.

But Commissioner Alisa Simmons says it’s not enough for what she considers an alarming rate.

"This is two deaths in four days, five deaths in three months. That’s a lot," she said. "I think we are beyond that now. I think we need a federal investigation so somebody who is truly a third-party organization to come in and take a look. Maybe they’ll say everything is working as it should. But if we are interested in mitigating, lowering the number of jail deaths, then we should have nothing to hide from the justice department and invite them in."

Simmons says she will make that request for a U.S. Department of Justice review. She believes one factor is too many inmates with mental health issues housed in the jail facilities when there are underutilized alternatives, like the county’s federally funded mental health diversion center.

"We pay for that with federal ARPA dollars," she said. "It has, I forgotten exactly how many beds, and it is sitting virtually empty."

According to the sheriff’s office website, the detention bureau has passed state certification every year since 1995. A FOX 4 request for the most current report is still pending.

FOX 4 asked Sheriff Bill Waybourn to address the matter of Johnson’s death. A spokesman for the department said the news release distributed Sunday is the only response it plans to provide.

That news release also points out that Johnson had been arrested in Saginaw on Friday after witnesses said he was at an intersection wielding a knife at a motorist. 

"The investigation is just beginning in Mr. Johnson’s case. I’m not sure of any of the details other than the sheriff’s news release," Simmons said. "We need to know what occurred before during and after that altercation that led to medical attention and subsequently death."