Harris County jailer accused of letting prisoner attack fellow inmate

HOUSTON – A Harris County jailer is accused of giving a prisoner permission to attack a fellow inmate earlier this year, according to court documents obtained Sunday.

The documents showed that Gene Ramirez, 27, was charged with official oppression in connection with a May 14 incident involving two inmates in pod 6028 at the Harris County Jail. 

"I was told by my son actually what happened," said Sondra McCarty, mother of Delvin Seymore, the inmate who was attacked. 

"He didn't want to fight the boy and he was running from him and the guy asked the jailer if he can fight my son and he was like, 'Yeah.' And so my son was trying to get out. They closed the door on him," McCarty continued. 

Investigators viewed surveillance video that appeared to show an inmate ask Ramirez for two minutes to fight another prisoner, and Ramirez appeared to grant permission, according to the court documents. The video showed the inmates chased each other around the pod before one cornered the other and a fight began, according to the documents.

Ramirez took one minute before he reacted and called for assistance, according to the documents.

Investigators said they also interviewed both the inmates involved in the incident, and they both said that Ramirez condoned the attack, according to the documents.

Ramirez has posted a $1,000 bail. He is expected in court on Thursday.

Seymore's family said the attack knocked out his teeth. He has been transferred to a facility in Henderson, Texas, they said. 

"They sent him there for treatment, for therapy," Sondra McCarty said. 

Seymore's family wants justice, and they said Ramirez being charged is a start. 

"I'm glad at the fact that it didn't slip through the cracks this time. So many other victims this has happened to. So, now this us the time to reconcile the situation to make it better," Marcus McCarty said.

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