By Peggy O’Hare and Chris Moran
The Houston Chronicle
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A sheriff’s detention officer candidate who collapsed at the department’s training academy last week died of a heart attack, according to a Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office report.
Dionicio Camacho became dizzy while grappling with other jailers Oct. 21 during a physical training exercise, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy said. He was in the third week of training for a jailer position.
The report states that the cause of death was a heart attack during the training. Camacho’s family referred questions to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office could not reveal whether Camacho had any pre-existing medical conditions, citing federal patient privacy laws.
Camacho’s age is unclear. According to Texas drivers license records, he was 51 years old, but the Medical Examiner’s Office put his age at 57. There is no maximum age limit to become a correctional officer in Harris County.
Each candidate applying for detention officer jobs must undergo a physical by his or her personal physician before being hired, and that physician must complete Sheriff’s Office paperwork to show the candidate is fit for duty, said Deputy Janie Alvarez-Wagner, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office. Cadet training begins only after one is hired by the department, Alvarez-Wagner said.
According to the medical examiner’s account, Camacho had just finished five minutes of running and was “exchanging bouts” with an instructor when he began complaining of dizziness. After he fainted, academy employees began efforts to revive him. Paramedics arrived and performed CPR for an hour and transported Camacho to Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital. He was removed from life support early Friday.
Copyright 2009 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company