Two more Collin County jailers reinstated after firings over Marvin Scott III’s in-custody death

Two more Collin County jailers who appealed their firings related to the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III have been reinstated. Scott, a Black man from McKinney, was arrested March 14, 2021, over a marijuana cigarette, according to his family’s lawyer Lee Merritt, and was going through a mental-health crisis at the time. Collin County jailers pepper-sprayed Scott and put him in a spit hood while restraining him to a bed after he started exhibiting “strange behavior,” according to Sheriff Jim Skinner. Scott became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The Collin County medical examiner’s office has ruled the death a homicide, and numerous protests called for justice in the case.

Less than a month following Scott’s death, Skinner fired seven jailers and an eighth resigned. One of the fired jailers appealed his termination last year and was reinstated. Four additional jailers — a captain, two sergeants and one detention officer — had appealed their terminations. Following its appeals proceedings, which took place last week, the Collin County Civil Service Commission affirmed the firings of the captain and one of the sergeants. Although the commission found that the four violated “well-established” jail policies and procedures, it reinstated two of them, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that all claims for back pay were denied. “The commission reinstated the other sergeant with a demotion to detention officer, and the commission reinstated the remaining detention officer with a 10-day suspension,” the sheriff’s office said in a written statement. Merritt said Skinner reached out to Scott’s family following the commission’s decision.