HOUSTON – Two Harris County detention officers are facing charges for what they're accused of doing to an inmate.
Prosecutors said for at least several weeks, inmate Terry Goodwin sat locked up in isolation in a filthy jail cell on the second floor of the Harris County Jail at 1200 Baker Street.
They say detention officer Sgt. Ricky Pickens-Wilson and detention officer-Sgt. John Figaroa tampered with government documents, signing off and claiming they had inspected the cell.
"A sheriff's office compliance team came through and discovered that inmate Terry Goodwin's cell was deplorable. They found dozens of food trays. They found an infestation of gnats. They found horrible conditions," said prosecutor Julian Ramirez.
Both men, employees of the Harris County Sheriff's Office, face two third-degree felony charges in connection with the case, which dates back to 2013. Prosecutors said the jail cell was covered with at least 50 food containers, feces and shreds of Goodwin's jail uniform and pieces of his mattress in the toilet.
The prosecutor said some have claimed the cell was not checked because Goodwin, who suffered from mental illness, was considered dangerous.
"One of the justifications we've heard is that Mr. Goodwin was a combative inmate. And at least one of the detention sergeants did not want to cause a use of force to be necessary. So they chose to avoid the issue and simply not search the cell," said Ramirez.
Pickens-Wilson and Figaroa were relieved of duty.
The punishment range for tampering with a governmental record is from two to 10 years with up to a $10,000 fine.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia released a statement Tuesday evening that read, "A Harris County Grand Jury has indicted two HCSO detention officer sergeants with two counts of tampering with a governmental record (a 3rd degree felony) for their role in an October 2013 incident involving inmate Terry Goodwin. They have been relieved of duty. In addition, now that the Grand Jury has completed its investigation, my staff will work to conclude our internal investigation. I thank District Attorney Anderson and the members of the Grand Jury for their important work. My staff cooperated with the District Attorney's Office to determine whether any criminal laws were broken. When I met with Mr. Goodwin's mother, I promised her justice. I hope that this decision helps to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring Mrs. Lambert and the public that when policies, procedures, and laws are intentionally violated all will be held accountable. While this incident should have never happened, I hope that it does not tarnish the good work of the many honest and hardworking detention employees who do their job with honor and pride, and uphold the public's trust every day.When I asked to meet with the members of the Grand Jury it was because I wanted to learn as much as I could from their investigation and be sure that the actions I took, after discovering this incident, would prevent something like this from happening again. To that end, I remain committed to continued improvement on the progress made."