Texas deputy fired for not checking on inmate found hanged
HOUSTON (AP) -- Investigators say a Texas deputy on jail infirmary duty has been fired after an internal review determined an inmate was not properly monitored before he was found hanged.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday said the deputy, whose name wasn't released, didn't conduct face-to-face checks of the inmate in a timely manner. The case has been referred to prosecutors.
A sheriff's statement said deputies on Feb. 13 found Vincent Dwayne Young hanging by a bed sheet in his private cell. Doctors couldn't revive him. The Houston Chronicle reports sheriff's officials say Young, who faced a weapons charge, was undergoing detoxification.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was hanging, the manner was suicide.
The sheriff's statement says new protocols include random audits comparing written staff records with security video.