Tarrant juvenile detention officer fired for improper conduct involving detainees
A Tarrant County Juvenile Services officer was fired last month for improper conduct involving minor detainees at the Lynn W. Ross Detention Center, according to records obtained by the Star-Telegram.
Jorge Nava, a security control officer, was terminated June 6 after an internal investigation found he had accessed a female detainee’s confidential information with another detainee, according to his personnel files. The female detainee, identified in the files as C.O., told Juvenile Services workers on May 15 that she was “tired of being stalked” and “wanted to be left alone” by Nava and another detained minor.
At that time, C.O. produced call logs and screenshots of phone calls made from Nava’s phone number and the Ross Detention Center’s phone number, as well as photos and videos of the other youth, identified by the initials I.W., according to a notice in the files.
C.O. asked Nava where he had gotten her phone number and social media handles, and Nava told her he had gotten the information from her file in the county’s system. Nava was placed on administrative leave and interviewed for an internal investigation on May 16, according to his file.
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In the interview, Nava admitted to allowing I.W. to use his cell phone, retrieving C.O’s information and giving it to I.W., and communicating with C.O. in a manner not within the scope of his duties, according to the notice. Nava told C.O. that he was trying to “play match maker” between her and I.W.
Further investigation of Nava’s “digital footprint” in the county’s system found that he had retrieved data from C.O.’s profile nine times between April 1 and May 19, according to personnel records. On five occasions, C.O. was not in detention at the time that Nava accessed her information.
During the time Nava was accessing CO.’s information, he had been assigned to work in male housing units and did not have any duties which would have required him to pull her files, according to the records.
A spokesperson for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, citing an open investigation.
Nava did not respond to a notice of intent to terminate his employment or appeal the decision within seven days, nor did he respond to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.
Tarrant County Juvenile Services Director Riley Shaw did not immediately respond to phone calls from the Star-Telegram.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM.
