SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County jailer fired over concerns he used excessive force will not face criminal charges, according to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
Jonathon Garza, who had been with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office since 2018, was fired in August, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and BCSO records obtained by KSAT 12 News.
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During a shift on Aug. 20, 2020, Garza ordered a jailed woman to stop speaking with the inmate he was escorting, according to BCSO records. After the woman did not comply, Garza began to handcuff her when a struggle ensued.
Another deputy tried assisting Garza, who had pushed the woman up against a wall, but they were still “unable to gain control” of her, according to the records.
Garza then pulled the woman to the ground, where she fell face first, sustaining a broken tooth and a cut to her lip.
“Your excessive use of force has proven to be detrimental to the Sheriff’s Office,” administrators wrote to Garza in his termination notice.
In November, months after the alleged incident, the sheriff’s office submitted the criminal case against Garza on charges of official oppression and assault.
But the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office rejected those charges, a spokesperson told KSAT 12 News.
“After a thorough review of the facts of this case and the law that applies, this case was rejected by the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office,” according to a statement from the office. “We can make no further comment.”
Though prosecutors did not pursue charges, the sheriff’s office followed through with the termination, records showed.