Two in-custody deaths reported by North Texas jails on Tuesday, officials say
A man in the custody of Dallas County Jail and a man in the custody of Irving City Jail both died early Tuesday, March 11, officials said.
DART police officers brought a 50-year-old man to the Dallas County Jail around 8:50 p.m. Monday, March 10. Jailers initially turned him away for medical reasons, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release Tuesday.
The man, who wasn’t identified in the release, was checked at Parkland Hospital and medically cleared. He was returned to the jail, but around 3:30 a.m. was found “tampering with his medical device in his throat,” the release states. The 50-year-old was transported back to Parkland Hospital, where he died.
The investigation into the inmate’s death is ongoing, officials said in the release.
Around 4:25 a.m. Monday, 32-year-old Patrick Jones was arrested on an active theft warrant out of Dallas County, the Irving Police Department said in a news release Tuesday. Jones was found unresponsive in his cell around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Detention officers immediately began life-saving measures on Jones, according to the release. He died a short time later at a hospital.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform on autopsy on Jones to determine his cause of death, the release states. The Irving Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the Dallas County Public Integrity Unit will conduct separate investigations, per standard procedure.
The investigations are underway, officials said in the release. The Irving Internal Affairs will also conduct an internal review. The Texas Attorney General’s Office was notified of Jones’ in-custody death.
