Texas Department of Criminal Justice Announces Texas Inmate’s Death Linked to COVID-19
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) announced the death of an offender that may be related to the COVID-19 virus.
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An offender death from the Pack Unit in Navasota is under investigation to determine if it is connected to COVID-19. Early Saturday morning April 11, 2020, 62-year-old Leonard Clerkly had difficulty breathing and was transported by EMS to Grimes County Hospital where life saving measures continued. Clerkly was pronounced dead at 5:25 a.m. Preliminary autopsy results suggest a preliminary cause of death of viral pneumonia due to COVID-19 with other contributing factors. Like all in-custody deaths, this death is under investigation, and the cause of death is pending final autopsy results. Clerkly had served 5 years, 7 months and 11 days of a life sentence for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child under 14 out of Tarrant County.
No other offenders or staff at the Pack Unit have tested positive for COVID-19 at this time.
In all there have been 97 TDCJ employees, staff or contractors and 236 offenders in custody who have tested positive for COVID-19.
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