57-year-old man in Tarrant County Jail custody dies of ‘unknown medical emergency’
A man who was in custody at the Tarrant County Jail died Feb. 15 after experiencing an “unknown medical emergency,” the Sheriff’s Office confirmed in an email to the Star-Telegram Thursday evening.
The man was 57-year-old George Zink, according to documents from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards provided to the Star-Telegram by the Texas Jail Project on Friday. His cause of death remains unknown, according to those records.
Zink had been taken into custody Nov. 23 on an indecent exposure charge after being arrested by White Settlement police, the Sheriff’s Office said, though court records show he was arrested by Westworth Village police. Zink had refused to eat his lunch and dinner, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said, and was being evaluated by medical personnel when he experienced an “unknown medical emergency” at 8:30 p.m.
Zink was taken to JPS Hospital and pronounced dead at 9:18 p.m.
Zink was arrested on two criminal trespass charges less than a month apart last summer before he was accused of indecent exposure, according to court records. Zink’s first trespass charge was June 29. The second came July 16.
Zink’s lawyer on his indecent exposure charge, Dustin Trammel of Hoeller McLaughlin, said Zink had been evaluated for his mental health and was participating in a competency restoration program. It’s unclear if Zink was taken to Tarrant County’s Mental Health Jail Diversion Center, which is run by MHMR and accepts patients who have criminal trespass charges.
MHMR CEO Susan Garnett wrote in an email Friday that she was not able to comment on individuals’ health services. She said she did not know the details of Zink’s case.
“To be eligible for the Diversion Center, an individual must be brought in by a police officer and they must be prepared to voluntarily participate in the services of the center,” Garnett wrote. “We know on occasion otherwise eligible people choose not to participate. When people are willing to participate we have an array of services to link them to effective treatments.”
Trammel was also unsure if Zink had made contact with the center.
Representatives from the Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately return phone calls and emails for comment Friday.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 5:20 PM.
