Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told county commissioners Wednesday he would not participate in any more briefings about deaths in jail custody called by County Commissioner Alisa Simmons. He let them know through an email, which was read aloud by another county staff member.
Simmons is a frequent critic of the jail, and alongside some community members, she has called on Waybourn to resign over his handling of deaths in custody. She requests briefings about jail issues at Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings, some of which Waybourn has attended, and some of which he hasn’t.
No one from the sheriff’s office showed up for the briefing called during the last commissioners court meeting. Simmons called it again for Wednesday’s meeting, and again, no one showed. Waybourn sent an email explaining his absence, which County Administrator Chandler Merritt read to commissioners…