An image of bodycam footage included in the lawsuit filed on behalf of Glenn Smallwood Jr.’s family (Lawsuit).
The family of a Texas military veteran who died after being restrained by jail guards while having a mental health crisis is suing for wrongful death.
According to the federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday, 33-year-old Glenn Smallwood Jr. was arrested in June 2023 on a misdemeanor public intoxication charge. But his family claims in the lawsuit that he was “in a medical and mental health crisis” at the time of the arrest and in need of medical attention. In the lawsuit, several parties including Angelina County, a nurse, and a sheriff’s lieutenant, are accused of failing to get Smallwood the help he needed and allegedly letting him die.
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The lawsuit, filed by civil rights attorney Erik Heipt on behalf of Glenn Smallwood’s estate, outlined what allegedly happened after the U.S. Army veteran was taken to the Angelina County Jail in Lufkin, Texas. According to the lawsuit, Smallwood’s mental condition was “readily apparent” upon his arrival, and that he was “paranoid, confused, sweating, shaking, unsteady, and bleeding from his mouth.”
It was the facility’s policy to restrain intoxicated detainees in a chair while they sobered up, which was what the guards at the county jail did to Smallwood. But his condition soon reportedly deteriorated and he became “listless” and started vomiting. The lawsuit stated that the position in which Smallwood was strapped made it harder for him to breathe.
The lawsuit — which included images taken from an officer’s body worn camera — says that while Smallwood was strapped to the chair and vomiting, the guards were “smiling, laughing, and joking in reaction to Mr. Smallwood’s sickness.” The lawsuit quoted one officer as saying “in jest” that “I might throw up if I see that again, man, I can’t.”
In response, the lawsuit said that the guards “fastened and tightened” the straps restraining Smallwood. He was then wheeled into a “detox” holding cell. The suit said, “Before shutting the door, guards heard him retching and moaning and saw him lose consciousness.”
The suit said a nurse, described as “entry-level” with a “limited scope of license,” then performed a sternum rub on Glenn Smallwood to gauge his responsiveness. He did not respond, and she then employed “smelling salts” to temporarily wake him up before leaving him in the holding cell alone.
Fifteen minutes after the nurse left Smallwood alone, jail guards found him dead.
The lawsuit stated that Smallwood suffered from schizoaffective disorder and had been trying to get a prescription medication from the Burke Center, a mental health facility where he had previously been treated. While there, Smallwood was “in a state of active psychosis.” Recognizing the severity of his condition, staff at the facility attempted to have him “involuntarily transferred” to a hospital for inpatient treatment. But while they were getting the paperwork in order, Smallwood left the facility.
According to the suit, it was believed that Smallwood “self-medicated” with methamphetamine, which can “exacerbate the psychotic symptoms.”
The Burke Center had issued a mental health warrant for Smallwood so authorities could find him and take him to the hospital for treatment. When Lufkin authorities heard about Smallwood “behaving bizarrely,” they responded to the scene — but took him to jail instead of a hospital.
In a statement to McClatchy News, Smallwood’s brother John Smallwood said the jail guards “treated him worse than an animal.” He further said, “It’s disturbing to me that jail guards were joking and laughing when my brother was strapped in a chair, vomiting and losing consciousness.”
Angelina County Sheriff Tom Selman, whose lieutenant was present during Smallwood’s detention and was named in the suit, also provided a statement to McClatchy News via email, saying that he “met with Mr. Smallwood’s family personally after he passed away and they are good people.” He added, “I believe our attorneys would be disappointed in me if I made any statements regarding the case.”
Smallwood left behind three young children. His family is suing for compensatory damages and punitive damages.
