Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
The Harris County Jail in downtown Houston, on April 12, 2021.
A 55-year-old man died Wednesday after suffering a medical emergency inside the Harris County Jail, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. It marks the first in-custody jail death in the county this year after a spike in the jail’s death rate last year.
Lenton Gallow Jr. was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in downtown Houston after the medical emergency, according to the sheriff’s office, which said he was pronounced dead at the hospital just after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
He was arrested and booked into the jail Jan. 5 on charges of criminal trespass and theft, according to the sheriff’s office, which operates the downtown Houston jail.
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A court filing that day alleged Gallow was an out-of-state fugitive in connection to drug possession and trespassing charges in Louisiana. Court documents indicate the criminal trespass charge was dismissed last week and the out-of-state fugitive complaint was dismissed Wednesday. A Jan. 8 order shows he was sentenced to serve 18 days inside the county jail for the theft charge after pleading guilty.
Gallow indicated he was experiencing homelessness at the time he was booked into the jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Texas Rangers are investigating his death. The sheriff’s office’s internal affairs division is investigating to determine whether all applicable policies and procedures were followed.
Twenty people died in the jail’s custody last year, an uptick from 10 in 2024. Many of them had preexisting medical conditions and suffered medical emergencies inside the facility, according to the sheriff’s office.
The jail has remained out of compliance with the state’s minimum jail standards since last year. A recent state inspection found deficiencies with fire control panels and issues with providing timely medical services to inmates.