SCSO employee tested for COVID-19, TDCJ halts intake of inmates

On Monday, April 13, Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt gave an update on various topics regarding COVID-19, including a department employee’s novel coronavirus test and the actions by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

“We have had one employee tested and their results were negative,” Sheriff Holt said. “We are very thankful for that. Currently, no inmates have shown signs, symptoms, or have any knowledge of being exposed, thus none of them have been tested. The deputies continue to visually screen people when we come into contact with them in the field, and the jail staff and deputies screen arrested people before they enter the jail, including but not limited to: taking their temperature, visual and auditory observations, and extra screening questions related to the virus.”

Effective Monday, April 13, TDCJ stopped all intake of inmates from county jails. The actions are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and comes from Bryan Collier, Executive Director of TDCJ to all sheriffs of Texas.

According to a press release from Friday, April 10, around the state, there are 69 employees, medical providers or contractors who have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 130 inmates have been diagnosed with the virus, also.

The plan is a part of TDCJ protocol and preventive measures against COVID-19. TDCJ believes by halting the intake of new inmates, the spread of the virus will be mitigated.

“The longer this suspension is in place, which is directly related to the threat of the virus, the more negative impact the suspension will have on the jail,” Sheriff Holt said. “This will be due to the number of increasing Stephens County inmates who have been sentenced to TDCJ, but are still housed here with no transport date in sight. This means that the jail is housing people who are technically the property of TDCJ, thus we are having to feed them, medicate them and expend other resources on them that TDCJ would normally be doing once the person is in state prison as opposed to our jail.”

The suspension of TDCJ intake will not affect Stephens County for approximately the next two to three weeks.