TYLER, Texas (KETK/KFXK) — The first inmate in the Smith County Jail to die from coronavirus has been confirmed by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
According to a report on Smith County, the TCJS confirmed the death on Sunday and that 10 other inmates are positive for the virus.
200 others have been quarantined due to their close contact with those that have tested positive. 21 jailers have also tested positive.
Early Saturday morning, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office announced the death of 61-year-old Raul Rodriguez from “an undisclosed medical issue.”
The department has not confirmed if Rodriguez did in fact test positive for the coronavirus. The Texas Rangers are investigating his death, which is standard procedure.
Rodriguez was in custody after pleading guilty back in March to his third DWI and had been sentenced to 30 years in prison by 241st District Judge Jack Skeen.
The death is the second inmate in Texas to die form the coronavirus. According to the TCJS, the other is in Bexar County down in San Antonio.
(Information from EastTexasMatters.com)
