MARFA – In the afternoon of August 11 there was a disturbance at the Presidio County Jail involving several inmates who refused to comply with orders from the jail staff. The sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post that the inmates blocked the windows in their cell in addition to not taking orders from the jailers.
According to the sheriff’s post, Deputy U.S. Marshals arrived at the jail to de-escalate the situation and were eventually able to resolve the ordeal without further incident.
Those involved in the disturbance are federal inmates, placing them under United States Marshals custody, yet housed at the county jail. “The Presidio County Jail, as like many other County Jails, accepts inmates from all over [the] state under contract with the [United States Marshals Service] for temporary housing. Prison gang members usually arrive in the mix amongst the inmates without incident; however, occasionally a combination of inmates results in disobedience and disruption,” the sheriff’s post read.
A number of surrounding agencies responded to the event, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Marfa Police Department.
The chief of the Marfa Police Department, Steve Marquez, declined a request for comment, referring The Big Bend Sentinel to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office did not respond to multiple emails, texts and phone calls. And USMS did not respond back in time to provide more context on the situation.