Fort Worth - Being booked into the Tarrant County Jail is not something anyone has on their 2025 bingo card. Since 2017, there have been more than 65 deaths within the jail.
Fort Worth - Being booked into the Tarrant County Jail is not something anyone has on their 2025 bingo card. Since 2017, there have been more than 65 deaths within the jail.
Recently, two people have died while in custody at the Tarrant County Jail, including 31-year-old Mason Andrew Yancy, who was booked on Christmas Eve for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Yancy, a well-known Second Amendment activist, suffered a medical emergency after allegedly being denied his diabetic medication and later died.
According to records, nine inmates died while being in custody in the Tarrant County Jail in 2024.
Waybourn, a Republican known for traveling around the state and appearing with notable political figures, has been branded as a tough-on-crime Texas lawman.
There are several reasons a person can be incarcerated, including back child support and civil offenses, but they are not all what you would think of when hearing the word "criminal."
Waybourn has notably withheld comments, as taxpayers have been on the hook for large settlements after the deaths in the jail. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office has seen its fair share of lawsuits, including suits filed by former employees and one for the death of an infant.
In 2020, a baby was born while a mother was in custody awaiting a court date. The baby later died after jail employees waited outside the cell door. The result was a $1.2M lawsuit.
Waybourn has stated that a plan is in place to equip jailers with body cameras to increase transparency and accountability.
Activists have planned a rally on January 14, 2025, during the Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting to bring awareness to the deaths within the jail and the need for a review of policy and procedure.
Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Crystal Gayden said the county jail is "failing" and called for Waybourn's resignation.
"Tarrant County has tragically ended 2024 with yet another preventable death in our county jail, all under Sheriff Bill Waybourn's watch. This brings the total number of jail deaths under Waybourn to approximately 69 since 2017-an appalling failure for a facility billed as a "Cadillac" model. It's clear that our county jail is failing," said Gayden.
"The repeated loss of life reflects systemic negligence and moral failure. We cannot allow this pattern to continue, and it's high time that Sheriff Waybourn submit his resignation immediately. No one should have to die under his watch any longer."