Outbreak of COVID-19 at Denton County Jail affecting inmates, detention officers

Updated at 1:15 p.m. Aug. 26 with information about the deaths of an inmate and two jail employees.

A COVID-19 outbreak at the Denton County Jail that has led to the death of one inmate and two jail employees has administrators worried about the continued spread of the virus inside the facility.

Assistant Chief Deputy Barry Caver of the Denton County Sheriff’s Office told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the inmate, 23-year-old Brandon Alexander Dominguez, was taken to the hospital Aug. 17 when he began suffering a medical episode. That same day, a judge granted Dominguez’s release through a personal recognizance bond.

Caver told the newspaper that the family chose to end life support and that he didn’t know if Dominguez was vaccinated.

The Sheriff’s Office also announced the death of Joseph Rogers, a detention officer, and chaplain Eddie Rucker. Both had been with the office for nearly 20 years. A GoFundMe account has been set up for Rucker’s family.

Denton County has experienced a spike in active cases of COVID-19 over the past few weeks as the more-contagious delta variant of the coronavirus becomes more prominent.

Caver told the Record-Chronicle on Tuesday that 15 inmates were sick with COVID-19 and 356 inmates were under medical observation and isolated from the rest of the jail population for 12 to 14 days because of exposure. He said the jail doesn’t have enough single-bed cells to quarantine people.

Fourteen housing units called “pods” inside the jail are locked down or under medical observation, with jail administrators trying to keep exposed inmates together.

“If I have multiple inmates in that same pod test positive, and I run out of single cells to house them, we basically have to cohort,” Caver said. “We have to cohort them together and let it run its course because it’s considered a hot zone.”

Since the pandemic began and before Dominguez’s death, only one inmate has died of COVID-19 complications — a 52-year-old in October 2020.

Caver said there is no way of knowing how, when, or where the inmates were infected with the virus. He admits they’ve had to abandon medical protocols for new inmates because of a lack of detention officers. They used to isolate new inmates for 14 days if they had any COVID-19 symptoms before putting them in the general jail population.

“Unfortunately, due to our 115 vacancies, we had to close down parts of our jail, and we’re not able to use the same protocols,” Caver added.

The Denton County Health Department runs the jail infirmary but is also hurting for staff. Patients with severe symptoms are sent to local hospitals.

Caver said family members of the inmates who are sick are not exposed to the virus. Since 2014, the jail has allowed only video visitations. Attorneys, parole and probation officers, counselors and religious volunteers can visit inmates in person but must have their temperature taken before entering the facility.

“Very few attorneys are entering the jail and are doing their legal consultation by video visitation,” Caver said. “Those who enter the jail have to talk to their clients through a clear glass and telephone receiver.”

Vaccines not required

The Denton County jail has offered free vaccinations to inmates and employees four times in the past few months, but they are not required to take the shot. Caver said only one-third of the inmates have volunteered to be vaccinated.

Inmates are offered masks to wear inside the jail, but they cannot be forced to wear them. The detention officers are also provided with personal protective equipment but are not required to wear it.

“We’ll never know whether they contracted COVID here or at the grocery store,” Caver said of the 12 infected officers. “It’s kind of hard to say they got it here. It’s possible, but there is not a way of knowing that for certain.”

Irma Sanchez of Dallas has a cousin who is a detention officer at the Denton County jail and is at home after contracting COVID-19.

She said she doesn’t understand why he won’t get vaccinated.

“My cousin thinks he got it at the jail, and his doctor advised him that he’s probably going to keep getting sick if he doesn’t vaccinate,” Sanchez said.

Some inmates with COVID-19 released

No matter how many measures the Denton County Sheriff’s Department puts in place to slow down or stop the spread of COVID, in some cases, administrators say their hands are tied. Inmates have rights, and the judges have to see their cases in court.

“If they are positive with COVID, obviously we can’t keep them in the jail if they have posted a bond or paid their fine,” said Caver, adding that he understands how that may look to the community, but jail administrators cannot legally keep inmates with COVID from being released when they have paid their bond. “Our county health department will do contact tracing and keep tabs on those folks and see where they are going.”

Inmates also are required to go before a Denton County judge on criminal charges, and not all judges are using video platforms. Some have lawyers and inmates appear in person.

Inmates are not tested for COVID-19 before being taken to court, Caver said, but judges are alerted if the inmate is coming from an isolated area inside the jail.

“The court is notified, and it’s the judge’s decision on how to proceed with the case,” he said. “Some cases have been conducted over Zoom.”

Staffing concerns

Caver said detention officers are working as much overtime as they want. The department also has openings for detention officers and positions related to jail health listed on its website.

“This has been probably the biggest manpower strain that the department has ever seen,” he said. “We are constantly moving people around to fill positions to make this place run … because we need the help.”

He said in addition to the dozen officers who are out with COVID-19, some have taken leave for emotional and psychological reasons.

“We’re doing the best we can in the confines of the jail environment,” Caver said. “We’re trying to treat the system and take care of the inmates as best we can.”

This story, originally published in Texas Metro News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and TMN. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.