The household of a girl jailed in Tarrant County who ended up in a medically induced coma is demanding Sheriff Invoice Waybourn resign.
A evaluate by his workplace discovered jail employees didn’t commit any crimes towards Kelly Masten who suffers from a extreme kind of epilepsy.
There was a rally held exterior the Tarrant County Commissioners Courtroom on Tuesday morning.
Advocates and Masten’s household are additionally demanding adjustments to how individuals with mental disabilities are jailed.
Pictures launched by Masten’s household present a girl in a hospital mattress with bruises throughout her physique.
Photograph supplied by Masten’s household.
They declare that’s how she ended up after being jailed for ten days within the Tarrant County Jail.
Photograph supplied by Masten’s household.
Fort Value police arrested the 38-year-old in April for allegedly hitting an aged girl, in accordance with on-line courtroom paperwork.
“The very first thing they did improper was the PD took her to Tarrant County Jail as a substitute of on to JPS MHMR which is the place she wanted to go,” stated Masten’s sister Kristina Salinas.
The sheriff’s workplace stated JPS hospital employees, which is about up on the jail, evaluated Masten earlier than she was booked.
“The analysis clearly doesn’t work, it mustn’t even be in place,” stated Salinas.
She argues her sister ought to have been taken to the hospital to obtain a modification in her medicines.
As a substitute, Masten was allegedly behind bars with out receiving medicine, she suffered a number of seizures and ended up in a medically induced coma.
The sheriff’s workplace stated a evaluate discovered no felony wrongdoing including that Masten was housed in a cell by herself and carefully monitored. Detention officers carried out common checks together with at the least 20 interactions with medical personnel and two journeys to the hospital.
“If these are the insurance policies and procedures they’re going by and going to face by with the situation that she is in, then there’s a significant issue right here,” stated Salinas.
In a press release, Sheriff Waybourn stated there’s a downside: ‘There’s a want for the state to extend the variety of psychological well being beds accessible for individuals who have important MHMR wants’
In line with Waybourn, as of final week, 138 inmates in Tarrant County are ready for a mattress within the state psychological well being hospital. These are inmates who have been deemed incompetent to face trial however can’t be launched due to their fees.
The Tarrant County District Legal professional’s Workplace confirms to NBC 5 that Masten’s cost of damage to a Youngster/Aged/Disabled with Intent of Bodily Harm has been dismissed however wouldn’t elaborate as to why.
