SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Friday that he believes there is a better way to deal with homeless and mentally ill people who have been arrested for low-level crimes.
Stephen Wayne Cole, 61, was found unresponsive in the Bexar County Jail on Thursday. First responders tried to revive him but were unsuccessful.
Cole was in jail on a criminal trespassing charge. Salazar said Cole was homeless.
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“Overall, I think this just points to the fact that this is a systemic issue. We’ve got to find a better way of dealing with our homeless population, of dealing with our mentally ill population. This jail is for people who society is afraid of,” Salazar said.
On Dec. 22, San Antonio police responded to a call for shoplifting at a Walmart, according to Salazar. Cole was ultimately charged with trespassing on private property. His bond was set at $400, meaning he needed to pay $40 for bail.
“In theory, for 40 bucks, this gentleman could have gotten himself out of jail. But when you’re homeless, 40 bucks may as well be 40 million bucks. You just don’t have it,” Salazar said.
Cole was waiting for a personal recognizance bond, pending a judge’s approval, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. These types of bonds are typically issued to defendants who cannot afford to pay bail, as long as they have gone through a risk assessment and promise to show up for all of their future court appearances.
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Salazar said he may not be in the position to fix the “systemic issue," but he said he wants to be a part of the solution.
The jail has started testing an automated system where court-appointed attorneys are notified if they have not met with their client.
“We’re reminding them, ‘Hey, you’ve got a client here that may be suffering from some issues. You need to come visit them and see about getting them out,’” Salazar said.
The sheriff’s office was not able to locate family members of Cole in San Antonio. The nearest family members that were located live in Harris County, according to Salazar.