SAN ANTONIO – Two Bexar County sheriff deputies have been fired, one of whom is facing charges for allegedly conducting an assault on an inmate, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar.
The sheriff held a media briefing Friday afternoon and said Deputy Frank Ramos, 34, was arrested after allegedly ordering inmates to attack a 45-year-old inmate for cat-calling a female deputy.
Frank Ramos is charged with official oppression and assault-bodily injury, both Class A misdemeanors, according to Salazar. He has since been terminated from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The female deputy who was cat-called, Jasmyne Ramos, 22, is not facing criminal charges in the incident, but she was also fired after Sheriff Salazar said she didn’t intervene or stop the assault from occurring.
“What we’re seeing is two deputies ending their careers, in essence,” Sheriff Salazar said.
The assault happened May 17 in a living unit at the Bexar County Jail annex. Sheriff Salazar said several inmates were present, and Frank Ramos was seated behind a desk when Jasmyne Ramos walked in.
That’s when an inmate cat-called the female deputy, according to Sheriff Salazar. Frank Ramos yelled at the inmates to determine who made the sound toward the other deputy. The inmate who did the cat-call admitted to it.
Surveillance video and audio obtained in the investigation showed that the inmate appeared to apologize to Frank Ramos. Moments later, another inmate took nonverbal direction from the deputy and motioned for the inmate to follow him into a nearby bathroom, Sheriff Salazar said.
Once the inmate who cat-called the female deputy went into the bathroom, at least one other inmate assaulted him, according to Sheriff Salazar. The inmate was attacked before he got back up, went back to the living unit and confronted another inmate and deputy verbally, the sheriff said.
Frank Ramos allegedly ordered for another attack, and the inmate was escorted once more to the bathroom by other inmates, according to Sheriff Salazar. The inmate returned to the living unit again and confronted the deputy, who called for more deputies to assist.
The inmate suffered a bloody nose, a cut to the head and received medical attention, according to Sheriff Salazar. The inmate was then taken to another part of the jail, and some of his personal belongings were allegedly stolen from other inmates.
It wasn’t until the inmate reported the incident that his items were returned, according to the BCSO.
Frank Ramos was put on administrative leave on May 18, a day after the incident. And as of Friday, May 21, he was arrested and served with termination proceedings.
Jasmyne Ramos witnessed the attack on the inmate but didn’t report the incident until she was questioned by investigators, according to Sheriff Salazar. She was also served with termination proceedings.
Sheriff Salazar said he hopes to file federal charges as well against Frank Ramos, even though there’s a chance a federal court won’t accept the case.
“It’s not something we tolerate. We did take swift, severe action on it,” Sheriff Salazar said. “I’m working very, very hard to turn around the general attitude toward this agency and the way we conduct ourselves in this agency.”