Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn on Thursday blamed a lack of mental health care for the latest death in the jail, which is currently under criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Waybourn told reporters 31-year-old Anthony Johnson, who jail officials said died after a struggle with detention officers in which he was pepper-sprayed, was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Speaking in the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office administration conference room across the street from the jail, Waybourn said the incident was a sign that more needed to be done to treat mental illness. His office has previously pointed to a lack of mental health treatment for many of the issues plaguing the beleaguered jail, which has been referred to as the county's largest mental health provider.
"This set up really a perfect storm," Waybourn said. "A perfect storm where, once again, that mental health has a significant role, and you're looking right across the street at the largest psychiatric hospital in Tarrant County."
Between 2017 and 2023, Tarrant County recorded 58 jail deaths, according to Sheriff's Office data. This year that number rose to more than 60, with two jail deaths within the past week.
Previously, Waybourn's office has attributed the jail deaths in part to an increased population and short staffing. But the county has also been the target of lawsuits for jailers' alleged treatment of detainees, and critics in Tarrant County say some of the deaths are due to negligence.
During a town hall, residents brought up their concerns to Waybourn, who blamed the rising population and drugs from the border. Waybourn did not offer evidence to support the claim. Tarrant County is more than 400 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
On Tuesday Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons said she planned to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Johnson's death.
In a statement released Tuesday, Simmons said the rate of jail deaths was “unacceptable.”
“I want accountability, I expect transparency and I want a full investigation into everything that occurred, before, during and after the altercation and the subsequent death of Mr. Johnson in our jail, including video footage,” she wrote in the statement.
Waybourn did not take media questions on Thursday, including a reporter question about the calls for a DOJ investigation.
Waybourn said the Sheriff's Office would direct all criminal information inquiries to the Texas Rangers. He asked for the community's patience as the investigation continued.
"If people need to be held criminally responsible, they will. If they need to be held administratively responsible, they will," he said. "We will do whatever the next right thing is."
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