Sheriff fires 6 jailers, disciplines dozens others over treatment of mentally ill inmate

Sheriff fires 6 jailers, disciplines dozens others over treatment of mentally ill inmate

They are accused of allowing the inmate to live in squalid conditions surrounded by containers filled with bugs and a toilet clogged with feces.

The sheriff of a Texas jail has fired six jailers over the treatment of a mentally ill inmate, who was found living in squalor in a jail cell for weeks.

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia fired six jailers and suspended 29 other jailers, and his second-in-commander, Chief Deputy Fred Brown, will be resigning at the end of the month, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

In addition, the major who was in charge of inmate housing had been demoted from her command.

The grand jury had indicted two detection officer sergeants three weeks ago after Terry Goodwin, a mentally ill inmate, had been found in the fall of 2013 in his cell with food containers filled wit bugs, a toilet clogged with feces, and his shredded uniform hanging from the ceiling.

Garcia said that while is it is never “pleasurable” to discipline employees, they failed to take the necessary action and it led to conditions that “no inmate should be subejcted to.”

Goodwin, who is 24, had been booked on a marijuana charge while on probation.

Garcia said that after an internal affairs investigation, he fired two indicted detention officer sergeants and four supervisors.

The indicted officers face charges of tampering with governmental record, which is a felony that carries a sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of $100,000. Their names are Ricky D. Pickens-Wilson and John Figaroa.

They are accused of signing off on a form saying that Goodwin’s cell had been checked and searched, but in reality they were skipping his cell, according to the report.

Garcia also suspended 29 jailers without pay, and in total the office issued 109 days of suspension without pay.

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