Main, left to right: William Eugene Romero and Crystal Janelle West (Potter County Sheriff’s Office). Inset: Corey Shawn Bavousett (PCSO).
Recent revelations have emerged regarding two Texas prison guards who were detained following accusations of neglecting to aid an inmate during a cell fire.
Instead of providing assistance, Sgt. Crystal Janelle West and Lt. William Eugene Romero allegedly chose to “smoke out” 39-year-old Corey Shawn Bavousett. Reports indicate they left him unattended in his cell for more than two hours, which authorities claim led to his demise due to the ongoing fire.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice informed Law&Crime about the guards’ arrest earlier this month, highlighting “their involvement in neglecting to offer assistance to an inmate at the William P. Clements Unit,” situated in Amarillo.
According to TDCJ reports, around 3:18 a.m. on a Sunday, personnel at the William P. Clements Unit “entered the cell of an inmate who had set a fire and had become unresponsive.”
As previously covered by Law&Crime, Bavousett was in the facility’s most secure sector, the extended cell block, when, around 1 a.m., he allegedly ignited his mattress, causing his cell to rapidly fill with smoke.
However, court documents acquired by local ABC affiliate KVII disclosed additional details, suggesting the perilous scenario had been escalating for several hours before the guards sought help.
West was the first supervisor on the scene and she quickly ordered the inmate’s food tray to be opened, hoping the smoke would clear through the hole meant to pass meals to the victim. She then contacted Romero, who also responded to the situation.
Upon arriving, Romero reportedly ordered West to close Bavousett’s food slot, saying he wanted the inmate to be “smoked out,” before adding, “He started the fire, so he can deal with it.”
West reportedly obeyed the command, shutting the opening to the cell and continuing her routine until about 2:30 a.m., when she responded to another call at Bavousett’s cell due to excessive smoke buildup. West again ordered the food slot to be opened. But despite the increase in the amount of smoke in the cell, she “continued to refuse [the victim’s] plea to let them out,” investigators reportedly said.
West reportedly contacted Romero a second time. This time, the lieutenant allegedly said to clear some of the smoke out via the food slot, then close it up again.
Per the report, Bavousett just before 3 a.m. was said to have become unresponsive. Even though authorities said there was so much smoke in Bavousett’s cell they were unable to see anything, the door reportedly remained locked for an additional 21 minutes, which is when Romero reported the situation to his own supervisors for the first time.
The prison called for emergency medical personnel at 3:32 a.m., reporting that an inmate has experiencing “chest pains,” KVII reported. Bavousett was pronounced dead at 4:09 a.m.
In a subsequent interview with investigators, West allegedly admitted that she knew Romero’s order to keep Bavousett in the cell as it filled with smoke was unethical and potentially deadly.
“She was aware of her conduct but consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk to the inmate’s life,” authorities wrote in the arrest report. “Such risk was a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all circumstances as viewed from the her perspective.”
In a statement, TDCJ said it is “working closely with [Office of the Inspector General] and the Special Prosecution Unit so that those staff who allegedly failed to act will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Sgt. Crystal West was charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and Lt. William Romero was charged with Criminal Negligence Homicide, a state jail felony,” the agency said. “Both employees are no longer employed by the agency.”
