By Tony Plohetski
Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN, Texas — After a man’s recent escape, a policy change at the Travis County sheriff’s office will require an additional officer to be available to relieve colleagues guarding hospitalized inmates.
The change took effect Monday. Officers taking on the new responsibilities will be paid overtime until the agency can add a permanent position into its budget.
Chief Deputy Jim Sylvester said the department for years has had only one corrections officer guarding inmates at University Medical Center Brackenridge, but realized additional security was needed after the June 27 escape of 24-year-old inmate Dacious Parker.
“You can imagine being there eight hours in a room, not being able to go to the bathroom or have an adequate lunch break because of security issues,” Sylvester said. “It’s not only an additional layer of security for the officer, but also for the people at the hospital — the nursing staff, the other patients, the community — because there are another pair of eyes on the inmate.”
Sylvester said that, at any given time, five to 10 Travis County inmates are in the hospital for an array of illnesses. A corrections officer is assigned to guard each, and officials said the newly assigned officer will relieve each of them when they go to the bathroom, get food or need to make a phone call.
Parker, who was captured in Houston last week, had an extensive criminal history that included robberies, assaults and burglaries, officials said. He was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for biting off and swallowing part of a man’s finger. He had been in the custody of the Travis County sheriff’s office since February, and he was waiting to be transported to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility.
Officials are still investigating the circumstances of Parker’s escape. Brad Heilman, an attorney representing the officer who was guarding Parker, has said his client was in the restroom in Parker’s hospital room when the prisoner escaped.
Officials are looking into the possibility that Parker faked paralysis in his legs. Heilman said Parker was using a wheelchair at the time.
“He’s devastated this happened on his watch,” Heilman said of his client Tuesday. “He’s a good guy, and he’s well respected in the department.”
Parker remains in jail in Houston.