TARRANT COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The Tarrant County Jail’s chief is retiring amid a cloud of controversy around the facility due to the number of inmate deaths.
Executive Chief Deputy Charles Eckert has been with the jail for 32 years and has led daily operations since December 2020.
The sheriff’s office issued a statement Wednesday that said Eckert “retired very honorably, and we were blessed to have him service TCSO for 32 stellar years.”
65 inmates have died in custody since 2017; that’s higher than the national average.
In a statement, Tarrant County Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa L. Simmons said Eckert’s departure is a “significant but necessary first step in addressing the alarming rise in jails deaths in the Tarrant County Jail.”
Six of the deaths occurred this year, which includes the death of 31-year-old US Marine Corps veteran Anthony Johnson Junior.
His April 21 death sparked outrage after video released by the sheriff’s office showed a jailer placing a knee on his back for about 90 seconds while restraining him amid a confrontation. He could be heard saying “I can’t breathe.”
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office fired a jailer and his supervisor. The two were then reinstated and placed on leave pending the outcome of the Texas Rangers investigation into how Johnson died.
The latest in-custody death occurred on May 27. Authorities said 31-year-old Chastity Bonner died after suffering a medical emergency.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said Bonner initially asked for medical treatment, then refused additional care and went back to her cell.
Staff performed lifesaving efforts, including a dose of Narcan, but she later died at a nearby hospital.
Bonner’s family and others impacted by the deaths have been working with the local advocacy group “United My Justice” to bring about changes in the Tarrant County Jail.
The group’s founder Donelle Ballard said they believe Eckert’s retirement should be followed by Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn’s resignation.
“It needs to start from the top and go all the way to the bottom. So, we’re asking that Waybourn step down and get these families the justice that they need to get,” she aid.
The group is holding a protest at noon today. The walk will start from City Hall, go down Throckmorton Street and end at the Tarrant County Jail.
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