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 Pedro Medina, 33, and Stephen Schmidt, 57, are charged with
negligent criminal homicide over the death of Jonathan Paul, 42, who
was found unresponsive in his cell on March 10, a day after his
arrest by police. He died three days later, police said.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled Paul's cause of death as
"in-custody death with application of physical restraints,” with
"acute psychosis” as a significant contributing factor.
Police in Arlington, west of Dallas, said Medina has been placed on
paid administrative leave. Schmidt retired last month after 10 years
as a jail operator.
 Both men turned themselves in to authorities on Monday and each
posted a $5,000 bond, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s
Office.
Robert Rogers, the attorney for the officers, told the Dallas
Morning News that the indictment of Medina and Schmidt "should send
a chill down the spine of every honest, hard-working law enforcement
officer."
He said both officers, as well as others on duty, had attempted to
help Paul, who was in the midst of a "drug-induced psychotic
episode." The officers "acted completely within the training and
accepted practices of the Arlington Police Department," he told the
newspaper.
Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said in a statement the case has
been difficult for the community.
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“Now that the Grand Jury proceeding has concluded, we are eager to
finalize the administrative case and present the findings of the
investigation to the family and our community,” he said.
Police said officers responded to a disturbance call in March and
found Paul screaming and throwing items out of an upstairs window at
an apartment complex. He was arrested after officers discovered he
had outstanding warrants.
Paul’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court
against the city of Arlington and the police department in May,
alleging the jailers used excessive force to restrain him.
(Editing by Victoria Cavaliere and Paul Tait)
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