Two former Arlington jailers have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in the death of an inmate in 2015, officials said.
Steven Schmidt, 58, and Pedro Medina, 34, were on duty at the Arlington city jail in March 2015, when a struggle ensued between jailers and inmate Jonathan Paul.
Paul, 42, was taken to a hospital, where he died three days later.
Schmidt, the lead detention officer on duty, and Medina were initially indicted in November 2015 on charges of criminally negligent homicide, a state jail felony.
Monday, Schmidt pleaded guilty to official oppression, while Medina pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury, said Sam Jordan, spokeswoman for the Tarrant County district attorney’s office. Both are Class A misdemeanor charges punishable by up to one year in jail.
Their charges were reduced after they reached a sentencing agreement with prosecutors that will be announced in court Tuesday morning, Jordan said.
