HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas — A Henderson County Jail inmate died earlier this month after he stopped breathing and collapsed in the arms of detention officers in a jail cell, a state report shows.
Christopher Allen Jones, 47, was seen on April 7 on the floor of a cell beside the toilet and breathing heavily while detention officers were performing cell checks.
The officers called for assistance and as officers spoke to Jones he was speaking but it was mumbled. While helping Jones to his bunk, he collapsed in the officers' arms and he stopped breathing, the report said.
Officers and EMS crews both attempted to use an AED, but neither of the devices sent out a shock. Jones was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 3:30 a.m.
Texas Ranger Brian Hamati and Henderson County District Attorney Investigator Michael Hill were contacted to investigate the death. His body was taken to a facility in Mesquite for an autopsy, according to the report.
While the autopsy results have not been released yet, the report states Jones had a history of stroke and heart disease, which are believed to be connected to his death.
He was in the county jail on a driving while intoxicated charge since March 1, the document read.