37 year old Sarah Tibbetts was arrested in November for possession of someone else's credit card and baggies containing traces of marijuana. Her boybriend, Jack Pritchard, 35, was also arrested because of old warrants.
According to reports, the Irving jail staff was aware that Tribbetts needed the insulin. Their efforts were limited to calling Tibbett's mother in California.
Rebecca Tibbetts, Sarah’s mother, said staff phoned her a day after the motel arrest and asked her to bring the medicine to jail.
“I said I’m in California. I can’t bring it up,” said Rebecca Tibbetts, who lives in that state. “I said my daughter is insulin-dependent and she will die without her insulin. If you can’t provide it, she needs to be sent to a hospital.”
The next morning, Sarah Tibbetts lay unconscious on the floor of her cell.
As a result, Irving fired two jail supervisors connected to the case.
Irving Police issued the following statement:
"Today, the Irving Police Department terminated two department employees related to the November 3rd jail death of Sarah Tibbetts, who was arrested and incarcerated on November 1. Additionally, two other employees received reprimands and two more received counseling.
The terminated employees were Jail shift supervisors who had been on paid leave since November 19, 2013. The other employees receiving discipline are detention officers.
The Irving Police Department has released all information related to this case to the Dallas County District Attorney for review. To protect the integrity of investigative process, this is the full extent of information that can be released at this time."
Tibbetts' family has hired Don Tittle, a civil rights lawyer, with the goal of suing the city.
