TYLER, Texas — Smith County will pay a $500,000 settlement in connection with a lawsuit alleging Tyler and Smith County law enforcement caused the death of a Smith County Jail inmate.
Teddy Wayne Parker, 32, of Whitehouse, died May 16, 2017, after he became unresponsive at the Smith County Jail and was ultimately removed from a ventilator at East Texas Medical Center (now UT Health East Texas).
Parker was charged two days before his death for public intoxication and taken to the jail by Tyler police officers. At the time of the arrest, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith described Parker as combative. Deputies helped Tyler police officers get Parker into the jail, Smith said.
Parker’s mother Christine Parker filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in 2019 claiming the officers and deputies used excessive force against her son. She also made claims against the individual Tyler police officers and sheriff’s office deputies.
According to court documents filed on Dec. 14, Smith County has agreed to pay $500,000 to dispose of the entire claim between Christine Parker and the county.
The document reads the sole purpose of the agreement is to terminate and prevent more involvement in litigations related to the May 14, 2017 incident.
Christine Parker has acknowledged that Smith County continues to assert no liability and both parties understand this issue remains disputed. There has been no finding of any wrongdoing or unconstitutional conduct by any court, according to the ruling.
U.S Judge K. Nicole Mitchell then dismissed the case so that the claim could not be made to the court again.
In December 2020, the city of Tyler agreed to pay a settlement of $300,000 for a settlement with Christine Parker.
In a statement in 2017, the sheriff’s office said Parker was placed in a padded cell for his safety. Smith said Parker began spitting on the officers when they attempted to remove his earrings.
Officers saw Parker turning blue in the face as he became unresponsive. Jail staff attempted life-saving measures, including using an automated portable defibrillator.
After he died, an autopsy was ordered, and the Texas Rangers were contacted as a normal procedure for an in-custody death.
