Tarrant County Jail

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn gave a briefing to commissioners about the statistics related to Tarrant County Jail inmates in 2025.

Anthony Johnson Jr. died in Tarrant County Jail custody in 2024 after officers pepper sprayed him in the face. Rafael Moreno, one of the officers on trial, knelt on his back for 90 seconds.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion the Texas Commission on Jail Standards has the authority to hire an independent investigator to look into all custody deaths. The opinion is in response to a letter sent by Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells last year.

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said both Carlos Romero and Victor Castillo were back in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. The two incidents were not related.

Tarrant County was dismissed last year from a lawsuit over the death of an inmate, Anthony Johnson, Jr., who died at the Tarrant County Jail in 2024. His family filed an appeal in December to add the county back to the suit.

KERA News has identified another man who died after a Tarrant County jailer knelt on him. The federal government has cautioned against kneeling on handcuffed people.

A 40-year-old female inmate was found unresponsive in her cell Sunday, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.

Anthony Johnson Jr. died after Tarrant County jailers pepper sprayed him, and one knelt on his back. His death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.

Earlier this month, there were about 180 vacant jobs in the Tarrant County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office. Understaffing can make the jail less safe for detention officers and the people incarcerated there.

The Tarrant County jail has struggled with staffing — a common problem in jails and prisons around the country.

Kimberly Phillips died of hunger and thirst in Tarrant County Jail custody. The Denton County Sheriff's Office investigated and cleared jail staff of any crimes.

Javonte Myers died in his Tarrant County Jail cell in 2020, and investigators found Darien Kirk and Erik Gay had lied about checking on him. Both have now been sentenced.