State orders Liberty County Jail to close after fire, citing longstanding safety violations

LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- State officials are ordering the Liberty County Jail to shut down, citing longstanding life-threatening conditions.

A state order issued Friday obtained by ABC13 state shows officials called on the county to voluntarily evacuate all jail detainees by noon that same day. Sources told ABC13 inmates remained inside the Liberty County Jail on Monday.

The order gave the jail 15 days from Friday, April 11, to suspend all operations and fully close, before the state promised to seek additional legal action. According to the document, that means those arrested in the county cannot be transported to the county jail, but must instead, be taken to other facilities. It also means all current detainees must be transferred to other facilities.

Records show the overcrowded jail has already been transferring some detainees to Louisiana.

"These are all pre-trial people hours and hours and hours away from their communities. From their defense counsel. From their families," Krishnaveni Gundu, the co-founder of the non-profit watchdog group, Texas Jail Project, said. She added, "It's sort of like a vicious cycle because when you send people out that far away the cases can't move as quickly as they should be moving and that creates a backlog."

The order was issued following an emergency meeting called Friday in response to a fire at the jail last Monday evening. Five correctional officers were hospitalized following the fire, according to a county public information officer. The jail initially reported that the fire was thought to be caused by an inmate or inmates during a fight. After a Liberty County Fire Marshals investigation found the fire was sparked by a lighting issue that ignited clutter, the jail retracted its statement. A public information officer told ABC13 that inmates cries for help during the fire were initially mistaken for fighting.

ABC13 reported on a riot at the jail in February, which was also referenced in the state order.

State non-compliance reports show the Liberty County Jail has violated state safety standards for years. Some complaints have gone unaddressed since 2023, state records show.

"I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner," Gundu, referencing the fire, said.

County officials have not formally responded to ABC13's inquiries after Friday's order was issued.

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