PRESS RELEASE – STATEMENT FROM DEFENSE COUNSEL FOR FORMER HAYS COUNTY JAILER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2024.
We are pleased to announce that the Hays County District Attorney has dismissed all charges against our client, Isaiah Garcia.
We appreciate the thorough review and consideration given by the Hays County District Attorney's office in this matter. This outcome reflects the careful examination of all facts and circumstances involved.
The case stemmed from a justified use of force, after Mr. Garcia was forcefully assaulted by a Hays County jail inmate who was trying to escape from a hospital, after being transported from the jail. The inmate requested to use the restroom to have his belly chain and hand restraints removed, then struck Mr. Garcia in the throat when he tried to put the inmate's handcuffs back on. The inmate then took off running towards medical carts, other people, and towards the exit.
Texas law provides that an officer is justified in using any force, including deadly force, that he reasonably believes to be immediately necessary to prevent the escape of a person in custody.
The incident probably could have been avoided with a better classification by the jail that would have required additional correctional officers to be assigned considering the inmate's recent threats to officers and recent assault on other officers while attempting to flee from another hospital.
While we realize any loss of life is tragic, we maintain that Mr. Garcia's actions were reasonable considering all the facts and justified under the law. We believe that the evidence and the law supported this conclusion, and we are pleased that the District Attorney ultimately agreed to dismiss the case.
Respectfully,
Jason S. English and Darla Davis
Attorneys for Isaiah Garcia
Who are Jason English and Darla Davis?
Though English now works as a criminal defense attorney, he is also a former prosecutor with years of experience prosecuting the same crimes for which his clients are now facing charges. Before establishing Jason S. English Law, PLLC, English represented the State of Texas, where he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Cameron, Hays, and Travis Counties from 2002-2017. His extensive experience includes years as the Chief Misdemeanor Prosecutor and Lead Felony Prosecutor. He handled not just Violent Crimes but also handled Drug Cases, Assault Cases, and DWI's. He was also assigned to the Public Integrity Unit for many years, prosecuting White Collar Fraud, Corruption, and Public Officials. For more than seven years, he worked in-house as the only Assistant District Attorney on-site advising the Austin Police Department.
Additionally, English served as the Felony Prosecutor that handled all cases assigned to the Mental Health Docket and Veterans Court Docket. He understands how mental illness can affect a crime and punishment. Drawing from his extensive experience and established reputation within the legal community, English helps clients obtain the best possible resolution of their case.
Mr. English's co-counsel on this case is Darla Davis. Like English, Davis is also a veteran of the Travis County DA's Office. She was a Travis County Assistant District Attorney from 1988-2011. Darla Davis has been litigating criminal cases in the criminal court system for over 25 years. As a former chief prosecutor in four criminal district courts and two white-collar units, Ms. Davis understands the intricacies of how a case proceeds through the criminal justice system - from field investigation, presentation of evidence to the grand jury, indictment, pre-trial hearings and discovery all the way up to jury selection, trial and sentencing.
Ms. Davis handles criminal cases in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, and Hays counties. For a quarter of a century, she has been in the courtroom litigating the full range of cases, from DWI and Drug charges to Assaults and Capital Murder. Ms. Davis is of counsel for the Abreo Law Office in Bastrop County.
When the Austin Police Cold Case Homicide Unit was formed, Ms. Davis became the "go-to" attorney for unsolved murders. She has worked extensively with forensic experts from across the country piecing together highly technical evidence. Ms. Davis has tried cases involving DNA evidence, fingerprint evidence, hair and fiber trace analysis and many other forensic categories.
Ms. Davis supervised the local White Collar Crime Unit and the Insurance Fraud Unit. She directed document intensive investigations with complex financial transactions as well as those cases involving accusations of official misconduct, embezzlement and fraud. When you or somebody you know has been arrested or charged with a criminal offense, you are facing the power of the State's resources. Get Darla Davis on your side. Bring her experience to your defense.
