GETTING SPIT ON SHOULD BE PART OF A PRISON GUARD’S JOB DESCRIPTION

A Texas prison guard has been charged in an assault connected to an inmate's death

By Jolie McCullough

The Texas Tribune
September 18, 2018

A Texas prison guard has been charged in the aggravated assault of an inmate who has since died, according to the state prison department’s investigatory branch.

Correctional officer D’Andre Glasper allegedly assaulted Gary Ryan, 58, at the Estelle Unit in Huntsville on Aug. 30, who suffered from brain injuries and died nearly two weeks later, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Office of the Inspector General’s office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. Glasper, 22, was arrested two days before Ryan's death and was released from the Walker County Jail after posting $50,000 bail.

The incident began after Ryan spit on Glasper’s torso in the morning, according to the news release. Glasper reported the incident to his supervisor and returned to his shift, though with instructions to have no further contact with Ryan. Against his instructions, Glasper later went back to Ryan to take him to shower.

Glasper said Ryan became aggressive and made “derogatory remarks,” the release said, and that Ryan's injuries occurred as the guard tried to put Ryan "prone on the floor." When medical staff arrived, Ryan was unresponsive and bleeding from his head.

Ryan was airlifted to a Houston hospital and underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain, according to the investigatory office. Glasper was arrested on the assault charge on Sept. 10, and Ryan died two days later.

Glasper, who had worked at the department since December 2016 with no previous disciplinary history, resigned days before his arrest. Ryan was less than three months away from completing a five-year sentence for harassment of a public servant, according to prison records obtained by The Texas Tribune.

A prison department spokesman said in an email Tuesday that the case was immediately referred to the independent investigatory office after Ryan was injured. The spokesman said he didn't know the last time a guard was charged in connection with the death of an inmate.

“One of the core values of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is integrity and any violation of the public trust will not be tolerated,” said Bryan Collier, the department’s executive director, in a statement. “TDCJ fully supports the Office of Inspector General and prosecuting former Officer Glasper to the fullest extent of the law.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Not only should a prison guard’s job description include getting spit on, but it should also include getting splattered with shit and piss.