A Taylor man has sued Williamson County, saying his hands and wrists were severely damaged because he was restrained too long for a blood test at the Williamson County Jail after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 2018.
Jay Kreper filed the federal lawsuit against the county March 10. The county cannot comment on pending litigation, Connie Odom, a Williamson County spokeswoman, said Monday.
The Williamson County sheriff’s office did not respond to a question about its policy on using restraints while drawing blood from drivers to test their blood alcohol concentration.
Kreper’s lawsuit against Williamson County is the third filed since November involving treatment at the Williamson County Jail.
The mother of Daniel McCoy filed a federal lawsuit in November against the county, saying her mentally ill son died after being denied medical help when he became violently sick at the jail in 2018. Jaivonte Roberts filed a federal lawsuit in February against the county, claiming he was denied medical care in jail in 2018 until he was so sick that doctors had to remove one of his testicles.
Kreper still suffers from lingering pain, immobility and swelling in his hands even though the incident happened almost two years ago, one of his lawyers, Scott Medlock, said Monday.
“He works construction, so to be able to grip and hold is his livelihood and he’s having trouble doing that,” Medlock said.
Kreper was charged with driving while intoxicated April 21, 2018, according to jail records.
He was stopped while speeding on Texas 95 south of Granger and told a Department of Public Safety trooper that he had drunk four to six beers in the past hour and a half at a friend’s house, an arrest affidavit said.
It said Kreper refused to give a breath sample so the trooper had to get a warrant to draw his blood.
After Kreper was arrested, sheriff’s staff forced him into an emergency restraint chair and tied him down to draw his blood to get his blood alcohol concentration, the lawsuit said.
Kreper asked staff to loosen the restraints both during and after the blood draw but they ignored his complaints, the lawsuit said.
It said the staff did not loosen the restraints for about an hour after they had placed him in a cell. Medlock said he has been unable to find out from the sheriff’s office the total amount of time Kreper was restrained.
“It’s well known in law enforcement if you are not careful with tools like handcuffs and restraint chairs, you can cause serious injury to someone,” Medlock said.
Kepler pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and received a 30-day jail sentence, according to court records.
The lawsuit also names Sgt. Matthew Paniagua and medical officer Jose Arreola with the sheriff’s office. The lawsuit also was filed against officer Busby and field training officer Morales, whose first names were not available.
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