HOUSTON – A civilian detention officer has been indicted on an official oppression charge for striking an inmate.
Deputies say that in February 2013, Myron Nelson struck an inmate at the Harris County Jail without provocation. He was fired in September 2013 and indicted by a grand jury last week.
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"The only way to run an accountable law enforcement agency that maintains the trust of the public is to have a workforce that does a great job when the public can see it or not, and to enforce the law against our own in the rare occasion when they break it," Sheriff Adrian Garcia said. "Ninety-nine percent of the 1,600 or so men and women who work in the jail do their jobs well in a high-stress environment, keeping the public, the inmates and themselves safe."
Nelson, 30, was hired in 2009.
Deputies say another fired detention officer, who was charged in October 2013 with smuggling tobacco and two cell phones into the jail for use by inmates, was sentenced Monday to five years on probation, 15 days in jail, a $2,500 fine and 300 hours of community service.
Tamara Bundage, 26, of Brookshire, was also ordered by state district judge to write a letter of apology to Sheriff Garcia.
Bundage hired on as a detention officer in November 2012 and was fired in October 2013.