Williamson County approves $1.25 million to settle inmate death lawsuit
Williamson County commissioners have approved $1.25 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging a prison inmate’s suicide was preventable. Tuesday’s settlement involved the 2021 death of 37-year-old Joshua McNatt.
McNatt was booked into the Williamson County Jail on April 9, 2021, on charges of assaulting a family member, according to jail records. A Texas Commission on Jail Standards form filled out when he was booked in indicated he was suicidal, according to the lawsuit filed by McNatt’s mother against the county and three jail guards.
A Williamson County District Court information sheet listed McNatt’s known mental health issues, including paranoid schizophrenia, anxiety and depression, the lawsuit says. A mental health officer also conducted a court-ordered evaluation while McNatt was in custody that found he was suicidal, the document says. McNatt was prescribed medication for his mental illnesses, but he did not receive those medications while in custody, the lawsuit says.
More: Williamson County pays $1.6 million to settle lawsuit related to prison inmate’s death
On April 12, 2021, he was under suicide watch in jail when an officer handed him a bag containing towels, a sheet and a blanket, the lawsuit states.
About 18 minutes after the prison guard delivered the supplies, officers conducted another check of McNatt’s cell to check for suicidal risk. He was found hanging, the lawsuit says. “Leaving Josh, who was undisputedly suicidal, in a cell with tether points and items with which he could bind himself was a violation of every known prison standard and clearly established law,” the lawsuit says.
More: Williamson County pays $500,000 to settle lawsuit over prison inmate’s death
McNatt was taken to a hospital for treatment, a Williamson County Sheriff’s Office news release said at the time. The sheriff’s office released him from custody two days after he was admitted to the hospital so his family could decide on his future treatment, the news release said.
“However, based on the information and findings available, the true motive was to avoid the county’s liability for Josh’s medical expenses,” the lawsuit states, adding that McNatt died in the hospital on April 22, 2021.
The county filed a report on McNatt’s death with the Texas Attorney General stating that suicide by hanging was the cause of death, the lawsuit says.
Williamson County will pay $355,320 of the $1.25 million settlement, with the county’s insurance carriers covering the rest, said Connie Odom, a county spokeswoman.
The county has settled at least two other lawsuits related to prison inmate deaths in recent years. Williamson County commissioners agreed in October 2022 to pay $500,000 to settle a federal lawsuit related to the death of prison inmate Patrick Dupre. He was on suicide watch when he was placed in a cell with a bedsheet that he used to try to kill himself on May 12, 2019, according to the lawsuit. He died of his injuries the following month, it said.
In April 2021, commissioners approved a $1.6 million settlement in connection with the 2018 death of mentally ill inmate Daniel McCoy. The lawsuit alleged that McCoy, 24, died after being denied medical attention when he became seriously ill in the Williamson County Jail.
Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason declined to comment Wednesday on whether practices at the jail had changed, saying he had not yet received notice of the settlement from the Commissioners Court or the county’s legal team.
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