HAYS COUNTY, Texas — A settlement has been reached in the case of a Hays County Jail inmate who claimed correction officers intentionally crushed his hand and deleted video of the incident.
In the lawsuit, Salvador Sanchez claimed he was injured when he put his hand through the food slot of an isolation cell and asked to be fed after missing a meal.
The alleged incident happened on May 30, 2021, while Sanchez was in a “violent cell” with metal walls and a windowless metal door. According to the lawsuit, correctional officer Bryan Thomas denied Sanchez food and kicked the metal flap of the food slot shut, smashing it against Sanchez’s hand. The lawsuit claims two other officers joined in and hit the slot with their hands.
The incident was captured on two cameras, including one outside the cell and a body camera Thomas was wearing. According to the settlement reached by civil rights group LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Hays County officials took no action.
Sanchez’s attorneys say the video was deleted five days after he filed a grievance complaint on June 24. A second complaint was filed on July 8.
“When I complained to Hays County about being assaulted, they did not even look at the video they had recorded,” said Salvador Sanchez. “After four years, a court has finally told them that they were wrong to delete the video footage. I am grateful to LatinoJustice and Webber Law for believing in me and taking my case. I hope this settlement will help convince other jails to treat people in their custody with dignity and respect.”
Hays County claimed the evidence was deleted because the complaints were filed after the 48-hour statute of limitations on grievances by incarcerated people, Sanchez’s attorneys said. The settlement included terms mandating a longer grievance period than two days, which LatinoJustice PRLDEF said is “substantially below industry standards.” Hays County’s outgoing sheriff extended the grievance period to six days.
“Every jail in Texas should be put on notice by today’s settlement,” said Karen Muñoz Treviño, justice catalyst fellow at LatinoJustice PRLDEF who represented Sanchez. “Our jails, and the corrections officers who staff them, are blanketed in video cameras that are used to capture alleged misconduct by incarcerated people but always seems to vanish when the accused are corrections officers. We hope that the new sheriff recognizes the failings of the previous policies and continues to honor the six-day grievance period.”