Accountability.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Two former Tarrant County detention officers have been arrested and accused of using excessive force against a person held in the Tarrant County Jail, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said.
Anthony Avalos, 34, and Osiris Longo, 38, were arrested Sept. 3 on charges of assault causing bodily injury and official oppression, FOX 4 reported. Official oppression is the charge Texas uses when a public servant is accused of mistreating someone while acting under the color of their office.
Longo resigned before the Sheriff’s Office internal investigation was finished, and Avalos was fired after it was completed. Both were booked and released on bond, according to court records cited by Hoodline.
What is known about the incident
The Sheriff’s Office has not released the name of the person in custody, the date of the incident, what kind of force was used, or whether it was captured on video. As of early October, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office had not yet formally filed charges.
“The actions of these detention officers is completely contrary to the values and professional standards expected,” Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a statement. “We have a duty to ensure the safety, security, and constitutional rights of every person entrusted” to the jail’s care.
An arrest is not a conviction. Avalos and Longo are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A jail under scrutiny
The arrests come as the Tarrant County Jail faces pressure over conditions and in-custody deaths. At least seven people have died in its custody this year, including a 41-year-old woman on Oct. 18, as Texas Prison News reported. Two other former detention officers are under indictment for murder in the April 2024 death of Anthony Johnson Jr., a 31-year-old Marine veteran whose death the medical examiner ruled a homicide.
Families with a loved one in the jail can find contact numbers, visitation rules and ways to raise concerns on the Tarrant County Jail Information Page.
Texas Prison News will update this story as the cases move through the courts.