All three former Tarrant County jailers who faced criminal charges for an alleged jailhouse beating have had their cases dismissed, court records show.
Cory Rodrigues was in Tarrant County jail custody in 2020 when then-jailer Reginald Roy Lowe smashed Rodrigues’ face against a concrete bunk and punched him repeatedly, breaking his bones and collapsing a lung, according to Lowe’s arrest warrant.
Lowe was charged with assault causing serious bodily injury. Fellow jailers Dakota Coston and Lewis Velasquez, who authorities say were also involved in the beating, were charged with official oppression.
On June 26, a Tarrant County criminal court agreed to drop Lowe’s case at the request of county prosecutors. As of Monday, the district attorney's office had successfully moved to dismiss Coston and Velasquez's cases, too, court records show.
When asked why the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office moved to dismiss the cases, DA's office spokesperson Anna Tinsley Williams responded with an emailed statement.
"After a review of the evidence and discussions with Mr. Rodrigues, who currently lives in California, it was determined that the cases be dismissed," the statement reads.
When asked what about those discussions influenced the dismissals, Williams said she could not provide more than the statement.
On Tuesday, residents attended the Tarrant County Commissioners Court to demand answers about the dismissal of Lowe’s case.
“It is hard to wrap your mind, and your sense of moral balance, around this action,” Fort Worth resident Julie Griffin said.
In all three cases, prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss on a form that asks them to justify why they want the case thrown out. Some reasons might be that the defendant can’t be found, they’ve completed a drug program, or they died.
In Lowe, Coston and Velasquez’s cases, the reason for dismissal listed is “prosecutorial discretion.” That's the prosecutors’ right to decide whether to pursue a criminal case.
Fort Worth resident and retired lawyer Jackee Cox explained it to commissioners like this: “Prosecutorial discretion means, I have the power to do this, I don't have to tell you [why], and I won't,” Cox said.
Dismissing the case against Lowe makes the county look bad, Cox said.
"When law enforcement commits a crime, they, like any other person, should be subject to having to stand trial for that crime. A fair trial is owed," Cox said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Cory Rodrigues. The court and criminal documents misspelled his name.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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