Footage obtained by KXAS-TV (NBC5), courtesy of Arlington Police Department
The family of a 42-year-old man who died while in Arlington police custody are seeking murder charges against the officers indicted in his death.
A Tarrant County grand jury on Monday indicted two Arlington officers in the death of 42-year-old Jonathan Ryan Paul.
Detention officer Pedro Medina and former lead detention officer Steve Schmidt were each indicted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide in the Paul’s death. Paul was found unresponsive in his cell March 10, a day after being arrested by police.
Medina, 33, has been placed on paid administrative leave. He has been with the Arlington Police Department since 2012 and is assigned to jail operations, police said.
Schmidt, 57, retired from the Police Department in October and had been assigned to jail operations since 2005, police said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Paul’s attorney and relatives said they want to see Medina and Schmidt charged with murder instead of criminally negligent homicide.
“We all know that there are very good officers out there. No one doubts that their jobs are serious,” said Luis Bartolomei, the family’s attorney. “But, like any other profession, there are bad ones out there.”
Paul’s uncles also addressed the media and said they believe the indictments, which coincided with Paul’s birthday, are a bittersweet milestone in a case that seemed dormant for months.
“Yes, we have some justice,” one of his uncles said. “It’s a small one, but we’ll take it and look forward to going on and seeing this conviction.”
Medina and Schmidt posted $5,000 bond Monday, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported. Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony that carries a punishment of 180 days to up to two years in state jail and a fine.
The indictment, obtained by NBC5, states that Medina and Schmidt caused Paul’s death by physically restraining him in a position that interfered with his breathing, excessively using pepper spray, failing to summon medical assistance in a timely manner, and failing to provide or recognize the need for medical assistance.
No trial date has been set. Medina is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Dec. 8.
“This has been a difficult case for our community,” Police Chief Will Johnson said in a prepared statement. “We promised a thorough and vigorous investigation into this matter. Now that the grand jury proceeding has concluded, we are eager to finalize the administrative case and present the findings of the investigation to the family and our community.”
The administrative portion of the investigation is expected to be completed in the next two weeks, police said.
Attorney’s statement
Robert Rogers, the attorney for the officers, said the “completely random decision” to indict Medina and Schmidt “should send a chill down the spine of every honest, hard-working law enforcement officer.”
“These two dedicated public servants with impeccable records had the misfortune of being on duty when a criminal in the midst of a drug-induced psychotic episode flooded his own cell with toilet water and fiercely resisted multiple officers as they tried to move him to a safe, dry cell,” Rogers said in a prepared statement. “Every officer involved, including Pedro and Steve, acted completely within the training and accepted practices of the Arlington Police Department.”
Bartolomei said the family is continuing to pursue a wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court.
From left, Jonathan Ryan Paul, Pedro Medina, Steve Schmidt (Arlington City Jail)
