Update: 1:20 p.m.
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The Potter County Sheriff’s Office has shared the mugshots of William Romero and Crystal West with MyHighPlains.com.
Update: 1:20 p.m.
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – It has been confirmed by the Potter County Sheriff’s Office that William Romero and Crystal West are currently in protective custody and are being kept in isolation.
Update: 12:32 p.m.
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) confirmed that two corrections officers, allegedly involved in an incident on Sunday which resulted in an inmate’s death at the Clements Unit, have been dismissed from their positions.
This follows the initial report of Crystal West and Lieutenant William Romero being detained on Sunday after the inmate’s passing. They face charges of alleged manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Update: 12:12 p.m.
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – TDCJ confirmed that two former employees were arrested, allegedly due to their involvement in failing to provide aid to an inmate at the Clements Unit early on Sunday morning.
According to TDCJ, staff at the Clements Unit responded to an inmate’s cell at approximately 3:19 a.m. on Sunday after he reportedly “started a fire in his cell and became unresponsive.” The inmate, whose name was not disclosed, was declared dead at 4:09 a.m.
TDCJ officials confirmed Crystal West was charged with alleged manslaughter and Lieutenant William Romero was charged with alleged criminally negligent homicide. Both West and Romero were noted as “no longer employed by the agency.”
“The agency is working closely with OIG 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,” said TDCJ officials in a statement to MyHighPlains.com. The agency said that due to the ongoing criminal case, no further information would be released at this time.
Original story:
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – According to jail records and the Potter County Sheriff’s Office, two Texas Department of Criminal Justice employees were arrested at the Clements Unit for alleged Criminally Negligent Homicide and Manslaughter on Sunday.
Records state that 33-year-old William Eugene Romero was arrested for alleged Criminally Negligent Homicide, while 39-year-old Crystal Janelle West was arrested for alleged Manslaughter. Romero and West were both arrested Sunday on TDCJ Clements Unit property.
According to records, Romero and West received no bond.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
