Public Intoxication and Brown County Jail Deaths

Wednesday April 13, 2005
News
Man dies after public intoxication arrest
By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin

A 38-year-old man collapsed at the Brown County Jail Monday afternoon a few minutes after his arrival and was pronounced dead at Brownwood Regional Medical Center, authorities said Tuesday.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of Christopher Stewart James, who was arrested by Brownwood police near the girls softball field at Brownwood High School. James' body has been sent to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, Ranger Calvin Cox of Abilene said.
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State law requires that an outside agency investigate a death that occurs in law enforcement custody, Cox and Sheriff Bobby Grubbs said.
"When we're holding the type of people we're holding, there's always the possibility of this occurring," Grubbs said. "Of course we want this investigated in depth ... to make sure all the procedures have been followed correctly."
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Two inmates died last year at the jail.
In March, Andy Ewing, 48, was found unresponsive in his cell after being arrested and charged with public intoxication. An autopsy report showed that alcohol withdrawal syndrome with delirium tremens led to Ewing's death, records show.

In April, James Ukele, 48, collapsed and died of respiratory distress as he was being released from the jail after serving a sentence for public intoxication, records show.

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/04/13/news/news01.txt
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UPDATE
Thursday April 28, 2005
News
Autopsy shows custody death caused by meth-induced heart attack
By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin
 Autopsy and toxicology reports show Christopher James died of a "heart attack induced by methamphetamine" shortly after being taken into custody on April 11, Brown County Sheriff Bobby Grubbs said Wednesday.
Local authorities initially referred questions to Texas Ranger Calvin Cox of Abilene, who investigated the death. Grubbs said he spoke with Cox late Wednesday afternoon and that Cox had asked him to release information.
"(Cox) indicated there was no evidence of wrongdoing or negligence on the officers' part," Grubbs said. "I feel like (James' arrest) was handled properly. This pretty well concludes it, I think."
Brownwood police said they encountered James, 38, near Brownwood High School after someone reported that a man was possibly intoxicated and possibly hallucinating.
James fought with officers and made reference to methamphetamine, and an officer wrote in a report that he suspected James was on drugs because of "his strength, his actions and his paranoia about someone coming for him."
Jailers were attempting to put a straight jacket on James, 38, who fought with them as they escorted him to a cell for violent offenders, according to reports from police who arrested him. James quit breathing and jailers performed CPR until GoldStar paramedics arrived. He was taken to Brownwood Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
A video from a Brownwood police car showed James thrashing and kicking nearly nonstop in the car's back seat as he was driven to jail.
The video did not have sound, but James appeared to be yelling for most of the 10-minute ride to the jail.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/04/28/news/news03.txt