WAXAHATCHEE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man held in a prison fatally assaulted a detention officer who was returning him to his cell after being allowed to leave for one hour each day, the sheriff says. announced on Tuesday.
Isaiah Patrick Bias, 28, who worked for the Ellis County Sheriff's Office for more than six years, was assaulted Monday afternoon at the county jail in Waxahachie, south of Dallas.
Sheriff Brad Norman said at a news conference Tuesday that Aaron Semion Thompson, 45, of nearby Ennis, has been charged with capital murder in Bias' death.
“Most of the time, law enforcement and detention officers deal with good people who are having a bad day. Sometimes they deal with bad people,” Norman said. “I can honestly say that my staff has been dealing with pure evil this past day.”
Mr. Norman said Mr. Bias was a family man and loved by his co-workers.
“He was one of those guys that if you needed help, you were there to help,” Norman said.
Thompson has been in jail since last month on charges of assaulting a public servant, public intoxication and evading arrest, officials said.
Thompson's bail in Bias' death was set at $2 million. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.
