SOMERVILLE, Texas — Newly released documents show that Chester Jackson Jr went before two justices of the peace, over the course of two days, in the Burleson County Jail.
Records, obtained by KAGS through a public records request, show that Jackson first stood before Burleson County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4 Robert Urbanosky on April 20, 2019. But, according to records, Urbanosky was unable to magistrate Jackson. Records of this appearance do not have Jackson's signature.
Around midnight next day, April 21, Jackson was magistrated by Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 Bill Orsak. Jackson did sign records of this appearance.
The group documents recently obtained also included Jackson's initial citation for public intoxication and his criminal complaint.
The records were given to KAGS 10 days after our initial request for Jackson's plea and magistration records. When we first asked for the records, on May 22, we were told the records were not in Jackson's file with the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4's office.
In a video first obtained by KAGS, from April 21, a Caldwell officer appears to shove Jackson against a wall, causing him to hit his head on a metal toilet. Lewis said the officer used excessive force, a Fourth Amendment violation and questioned why her client did not receive medical assistance following the altercation. The attorney also said the Caldwell officers interacting with Jackson in the video were not certified jailers and “had no business being there.”
The Texas Rangers have opened a criminal investigation into Jackson’s case, Lewis said.
Jackson has left intensive care after a month-long stay and has been stabilized but is not yet talking, Lewis said. Jackson has a visible head wound on the outside of his head but an assessment of possible internal damage to his head has not yet been conducted.
Jackson was initially arrested on April 19th, 2019 for public intoxication, a Class C Misdemeanor. In body camera video of Jackson's arrest, a deputy identifying himself as a certified drug detection officer allegedly says he believes Jackson was on PCP at the time of his arrest. Lewis called this "pure speculation."
Jackson was transported to Cross Creek on April 21, two days after his arrest for public intoxication. In body camera video, Jackson is seen walking into the hospital. He screams “I’m not in custody. I don’t want to be here. Let me go."
When deputies left Jackson at 2:10pm on April 21, body cameras show he was walking into the facility with staff. The 911 call was made at 5:56pm the same day. Jackson arrived at St David Medical Center in Austin at 6:03pm that night, according to EMS records.
In body camera video of the incident, a Caldwell PD officer lets go of Jackson’s arm, causing him to fall to the floor. Jackson remains on the floor yelling up to the officers. Then, a different Caldwell officer comes from around the corner of the jail cell door and forcefully pushes Jackson against the wall, where he hits his head on the metal toilet.
An officer then says to Jackson, “you fell.”
An unnamed Caldwell Police officer was placed on administrative leave as a result of an investigation into the Chester Jackson case. Police officers are typically placed on leave during internal affairs investigations and this does not necessarily imply guilt.
KAGS has reached out to the Caldwell Police Department and the Burleson County Sheriff's Office to confirm the officer's status and ask for comment on the video. We have not yet heard back. The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.