The attack comes after ABC13's previous reports on overcrowding and staffing shortages at the jail, which the victim says is partly to blame.
A Harris County Jail detention officer was brutally beaten and attacked by an inmate, according to the sheriff's office.J. Valdiviez has been with the sheriff's office since October and was doing 30-minute routine checks when an inmate attacked him from behind on July 21. He has been released from the hospital but tells ABC13 that he suffered a broken nose, has stitches in his mouth, and is swollen.
The inmate now charged with aggravated assault of a public servant is Christian Dillard, 23, who has a lengthy criminal history. He was charged with capital murder in 2021 and has been charged several times with assaulting a public servant."Normally, it should be a three-man pod, but under the circumstances of short staffing, there was a two-man pod that day," Valdiviez said.
Staffing issues combined with a jail population at its highest in over a decade is something ABC13 has been reporting for years. According to the Texas Commission on jail standards, Harris County is still non-compliant. The jail failed in many areas - including visual checks on inmates within the required time.
"If we had more people, I feel none of this would have been possible," Valdiviez said. "You can tell when it's short-staffed. We feel it."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Waxahachie detention officer accused of smuggling contraband arrestedThe Ellis County Sheriff's Office arrested one of its detention officers for smuggling contraband.
Read more »
Kamala Harris finally says something worth hearingVice President Kamala Harris never disappoints. The vice president’s penchant for effusively articulating the obvious or the totally irrelevant has made her the dancing Elaine Benes of American politics.
Read more »
Help! How Do We Disclose to Our Kids We’ve Had An Abortion–Twice?Dear Prudie: I want my kids to know, but I'm worried what will happen to my career if this becomes public.
Read more »
Armed men rob BMO Harris Bank in Addison: FBITwo men robbed a bank at gunpoint Friday morning in west suburban Addison.
Read more »