Bill Waybourn, the sheriff of Tarrant County, Texas, is accompanied by Matt Albence, then acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on Oct. 10, 2019, as Waybourn speaks in the White House Briefing Room.
A right-wing sheriff in North Texas appears to have won reelection, 54% to 46%, with all votes counted, according to Tarrant County elections officials. Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn succeeded despite facing scrutiny over deaths in the Fort Worth jail that he and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office oversee.
At least 65 deaths have been reported in the Tarrant County jail since Waybourn became sheriff in 2017, and some county residents have held demonstrations calling on Waybourn to resign.
The deaths garnered more attention in April, when Anthony Johnson died after a deputy knelt on his back during a routine cell check. Johnson’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit , and two corrections officers were indicted on felony murder charges.
In early June, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the jail deaths. An investigation has yet to be opened.