FORT WORTH, Texas — A woman whose son overdosed and died in a Tarrant County jail alleges the county turns "a blind eye to substance use" and allows "drugs to run rampant through its correctional facilities."
Cassandra Johnson made the claim in a lawsuit filed in federal court on July 20, exactly two years after her son's death. The medical examiner determined the "toxic effects of Fentanyl" killed 23-year-old Trelynn Wormley, who was jailed at Tarrant County's Green Bay correctional facility.
The mother of Wormley's child is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Tarrant County. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the family.
"Jails and prisons should be safe for incarcerated individuals, not facilities where inmates are exposed to deadly substances due to deliberately indifferent practices," Crump said in a statement to WFAA. "What happened in this case showed a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of inmates, failing in their most basic duty to provide a secure environment. The tragic death of Trelynn D'Maun Wormley underscores the urgent need for systemic reform and accountability within our correctional facilities."
The lawsuit also argues jailers fail to treat and protect those inmates with mental disorders that make them susceptible to substance abuse.
The filing makes reference to the more than 60 deaths at Tarrant County jails since 2017, when Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office. At least four people who've died in the jail's custody overdosed on Fentanyl or Methamphetamine.
"The question is now: How are the drugs getting in?" asked Donnell Ballard, who founded the advocacy group United My Justice.
Ballard stood beside Johnson during a 2022 news conference where she called for justice for her son.
"We continue to see the same thing, over and over again, and it doesn't make any sense," Ballard said.
A Tarrant County Sheriff's Office spokesperson called the lawsuit's claim that the county allows drugs to "run rampant" in its jails "absolutely absurd."
"We have multi-layered screening processes in place to prevent drugs and contraband from entering the jail," she added.
In the last year, Tarrant County has spent more than $2 million settling lawsuits related to its jails. Still, seven people have died in the Tarrant County Jail's custody in 2024.
"For you to have that many deaths - there's something wrong," Ballard said.