The Office of the Inspector General of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department issued the following press releases Friday:
On February 15, 2024, lieutenant inspectors with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) and the Special Prosecution Unit (SPU) presented this case to the grand jury for the 35th Judicial District of Texas in Brown County. The grand jury returned a true-bill indictment, Cause Number CR30017, on Jorge Hernandez Jr., age 29, a former juvenile correctional officer at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex, for a charge of official oppression. The alleged offense is a Class A Misdemeanor under the Texas Penal Code Chapter 39.03, punishable by up to a $4,000 fine and confinement in jail for a period of up to one year. This case is being prosecuted by attorneys of the SPU.
This indictment emanated from an investigation conducted by the OIG of an incident, which occurred on June 14, 2022, at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood, Texas. Hernandez, while employed by TJJD as a juvenile correctional officer, is alleged to have used excessive force in the commission of his duties on a juvenile who was in the custody of TJJD.
The Office of Inspector General is the independent law enforcement agency that is statutorily responsible for investigating criminal allegations involving TJJD juveniles, TJJD employees, TJJD facilities, contractors, or programs of the Texas juvenile justice system. Anyone can report allegations of misconduct to the Incident Reporting Center by emailing a complaint to [email protected], or by calling a 24-hour-a-day toll free hotline 1-866-477-8354. Historical TJJD incident data can be found on the Open Data Portal of Texas.gov.
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On Feb. 15, 2024, sergeant inspectors with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) and the Special Prosecution Unit (SPU) presented this case to the grand jury for the 35th Judicial District of Texas in Brown County. The grand jury returned a true-bill indictment, Cause Number CR30016, on Austin Baugh, age 29, a former juvenile correctional officer at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex, for a charge of official oppression. The alleged offense is a Class A Misdemeanor under the Texas Penal Code Chapter 39.03, punishable by up to a $4,000 fine and confinement in jail for a period of up to a year. This case is being prosecuted by attorneys of the SPU.
This indictment emanated from an investigation conducted by the OIG of an incident that occurred on Sept. 15, 2023. While working as a juvenile correctional officer, Austin Baugh allegedly grabbed a male offender, age 18, lifting him up and slamming him onto the floor, causing him to experience pain and bodily injury, namely causing a laceration above his eye, and causing a minor concussion. This incident was a violation of TJJD use of force policy.
The Office of Inspector General is the independent law enforcement agency that is statutorily responsible for investigating criminal allegations involving TJJD juveniles, TJJD employees, TJJD facilities, contractors, or programs of the Texas juvenile justice system. Anyone can report allegations of misconduct to the Incident Reporting Center by emailing a complaint to [email protected], or by calling a 24-hour-a-day toll free hotline 1-866-477-8354. Historical TJJD incident data can be found on the Open Data Portal of Texas.gov.