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TDCJ Troll, Huntsville, TX (2026)

06/25/2026

A correctional officer assigned to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Bartlett Unit in Bartlett was arrested June 21 on a driving while intoxicated charge, according to jail records.

Alana Noella Shotwell, 23, of Georgetown, was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety and booked into the Williamson County Jail. Jail records show she later posted a $2,000 bond and was released.

According to a complaint affidavit filed by a DPS trooper, Shotwell’s vehicle became stuck on an elevated center median along U.S. Highway 79 shortly after midnight. The trooper reported finding her standing outside the vehicle with slurred speech, glossy eyes and signs of impaired balance.

The affidavit states Shotwell denied consuming alcohol, but the trooper detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath. She later performed field sobriety tests, during which the trooper reported observing multiple signs of impairment.

Based on his observations and the results of the tests, the trooper concluded Shotwell had lost the normal use of her physical and mental faculties due to alcohol and placed her under arrest. The affidavit states another trooper located an open alcoholic container in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.

According to the affidavit, Shotwell initially consented to provide a breath specimen but was later transported to the Williamson County Jail for a blood draw after repeatedly vomiting.

Employment records show Shotwell was hired by TDCJ in February 2025.

06/25/2026

A sergeant assigned to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Mechler Unit in Tulia was arrested June 21 on a driving while intoxicated charge, according to jail records.

Remmy Shimilimana, 33, of Huntsville, was arrested by the Huntsville Police Department in the 800 block of Bearkat Boulevard and booked into the Walker County Jail. Jail records show he later posted a $3,000 bond and was released.

According to a show cause statement, officers responded to a single-motorcycle crash and found Shimilimana standing next to the motorcycle. An officer reported that another officer on scene advised him Shimilimana had admitted to consuming alcohol before the crash.

The arresting officer wrote that Shimilimana had extremely red and watery eyes, appeared unsteady on his feet and emitted the odor of an alcoholic beverage.

Shimilimana agreed to perform standardized field sobriety tests. The officer reported observing six of six clues during the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, three clues during the walk-and-turn test and two clues during the one-leg stand test. The officer also noted Shimilimana swayed during testing and used his arms for balance.

Based on those observations, the officer concluded Shimilimana was unable to safely operate a motor vehicle due to impairment from alcohol and placed him under arrest for driving while intoxicated. Shimilimana later consented to provide a blood sample at Huntsville Memorial Hospital before being transported to the Walker County Jail.

Employment records show Shimilimana was hired by TDCJ in October 2024.

06/25/2026

Two visitors from Midlothian were arrested June 20 at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony after investigators allegedly discovered more than 72 grams of a controlled substance hidden inside their vehicle, according to court records.

Julia Maribel Tantalean-Bermudez, 55, and Jose Kellerman Bermudez, 51, were arrested by the TDCJ Office of Inspector General and booked into the Anderson County Jail on charges of prohibited substance in a correctional facility.

According to probable cause affidavits, investigators responded to the Beto Unit highway gate after a K-9 alerted on a vehicle during a routine visitor search. The alert led investigators to search a 2016 Honda van, where they allegedly discovered a white powder substance concealed inside an opaque balloon hidden in a rear seat pocket.

Investigators wrote that the packaging method is commonly used to introduce contraband into correctional facilities. A sample of the substance was tested using a drug recognition machine and reportedly indicated the presence of remifentanil, a Schedule I controlled substance.

The substance and packaging had a combined weight of approximately 72.6 grams.

Investigators noted the concealed substance was within reach of both occupants of the vehicle. Jose Bermudez was identified as the driver and Julia Tantalean-Bermudez as the passenger. Both were arrested and transported to jail without incident.

Court records show bond was set at $200,000 for each defendant. Jose Bermudez has since bonded out, while Tantalean-Bermudez remains in custody.

06/24/2026

A correctional officer assigned to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Pack Unit in Navasota was arrested June 15 on a child abandonment charge, according to jail records.

Zoria Janae Williams, 27, was booked into the Waller County Jail on a Harris County warrant charging her with abandoning a child. Jail records show she later posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers responded to a child welfare concern at an apartment complex in Waller on April 15 after a 4-year-old boy was found wandering through the parking lot alone near the front gate of the complex, which leads to a major roadway.

A witness told officers she found the child without an adult nearby and became concerned he could be struck by a vehicle. Another resident helped care for the child and led officers to an apartment believed to be his residence. Officers found the apartment door open and, after receiving no response, entered the apartment and found no adults inside.

Williams later spoke to officers through a Ring doorbell camera before returning to the apartment. Investigators allege Williams admitted she left the child alone while taking another child to school because he was asleep and she did not want to wake him. She also reportedly told officers this was the first time the child had awakened while she was gone, indicating she had left him home alone on previous occasions.

Investigators reported the child had been alone for nearly an hour and had wandered approximately 210 feet from the apartment. Officers also noted the child was near a busy roadway and within close proximity of a 10-foot-deep drainage pit.

The child was identified as Williams’ stepchild, and his father had already left for work. Records indicate both Williams and the child’s father worked for TDCJ at the Pack Unit.

Employment records show Williams has worked for TDCJ since August 2020. Less than a week before her arrest, a June 9 post on the Pack Unit’s page recognized her as Employee of the Month.

06/24/2026

A correctional officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Goodman Unit in Jasper was arrested after investigators accused her of bringing v**e devices into the prison, according to jail records.

Bre’Asia L. Watson, 22, was arrested June 22 and booked into the Jasper County Jail on a charge of prohibited item or substance in a correctional facility. Her bond was set at $25,000 and she has since been released.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Goodman Unit Warden Candice Flannel notified an investigator with the Office of Inspector General after inmate telephone calls indicated Watson had been communicating with an inmate. The affidavit states the inmate asked Watson to bring v**e devices into the unit.

Investigators responded to the unit and interviewed Watson. According to the affidavit, Watson admitted she had been communicating with the inmate and agreed to bring v**e devices into the facility for him.

The affidavit states Watson reached into her pants pockets during the interview and produced two v**e devices. Watson allegedly told investigators she brought the v**es into the facility with the intent of delivering them to the inmate.

Employment records show Watson began working for TDCJ in December 2025.

06/23/2026

A 26-year-old inmate at the Clements Unit in Amarillo died June 19 in what is being investigated as a possible su***de, according to a custodial death report filed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

According to the report, Taqualan Oneil Thompson was discovered hanging in his cell. Life-saving measures were initiated and emergency medical personnel responded, but Thompson was pronounced dead just after 6 p.m.

Records show Thompson was serving a 15-year sentence for burglary of a habitation out of Nacogdoches County.

Clements Unit has had 11 inmate deaths reported in 2026. Five deaths, including Thompson’s, remain pending autopsy. Two deaths have been linked to synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as K2. Another was attributed to blunt impact injuries of the head in a death TDCJ described as an accident. The remaining deaths were determined to be natural.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of su***de or experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline for free and confidential support 24 hours a day.

06/23/2026

A 40-year-old inmate at the Gib Lewis Unit in Woodville died June 21, according to a custodial death report filed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

According to the report, Chase Ryan Moore was discovered unresponsive in his cell on June 20. Life-saving measures were initiated and Moore was transferred to the unit medical department before being transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased just after midnight on June 21.

Moore was serving a 25-year sentence for aggravated assault of a public servant out of Montgomery County. Court records show Moore also had convictions for theft, burglary and evading arrest. He had been in TDCJ custody since March 2015 and had been assigned to the Gib Lewis Unit since November 2023. Parole records show Moore became eligible for parole in May and was denied release on May 27.

Moore is the fifth inmate death reported at the Gib Lewis Unit in 2026. All five deaths remain pending final autopsy results. Two of the deaths are being investigated as su***des.

06/23/2026

An amended custodial death report has revealed the cause of death of a 45-year-old inmate who died April 2 at the Smith Unit in Lamesa.

According to the report, Marion L. Jones was observed unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel responded and life-saving measures were initiated, but Jones was pronounced deceased at 11:12 p.m.

His cause of death was listed as the toxic effects of synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as K2. The report does not provide additional details regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

Records show Jones was serving a 20-year sentence for robbery out of Jefferson County.

06/23/2026

Donna Robinson, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice program supervisor II who identified herself online as a parole officer, was fired after posting inflammatory Facebook comments following the sentencing of Karmelo Anthony, 19, who received 35 years in prison for the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco high school track meet.

Robinson suggested Anthony would be protected in prison and made comments concerning race and Metcalf’s family that TDCJ later described as discriminatory and inflammatory.

TDCJ said the remarks demonstrated bias and lacked the impartiality required for the fair administration of justice, adding that conduct undermining public confidence would not be tolerated.

This employment verification from TDCJ shows that Robinson has been separated from the agency.

06/22/2026

STATE REPRESENTATIVE CALLS FOR HEARING INTO RELEASE OF CAPITAL MURDER DEFENDANT

State Rep. David Lowe is calling for a public hearing into the release of Tyrick Davis from Texas Department of Criminal Justice custody despite what has been described as an active detainer from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

In a letter addressed to House Corrections Committee Chairman Sam Harless, Lowe said Texans deserve to know how the release occurred, who was responsible and what steps are being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. Lowe called for a public hearing examining the circumstances surrounding Davis’s release and requested testimony from all relevant parties, including TDCJ Executive Director Bobby Lumpkin.

According to reporting by KFDM, Davis, 21, is one of three suspects charged with capital murder in the 2024 shooting death of 39-year-old Ebonie Gilbert outside her Beaumont home. Investigators allege Gilbert interrupted the suspects burglarizing her vehicle before she was fatally shot.

KFDM reported that Davis was transferred to the Larry Gist State Jail in November 2024 to serve a Jefferson County theft sentence and was released March 30 after receiving credit for time served. Prosecutors later discovered Davis was no longer in custody while preparing for trial in the capital murder case.

The release has sparked a dispute between TDCJ and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Zena Stephens provided KFDM with a copy of what she described as a detainer directing TDCJ to return Davis to Jefferson County upon his release.

TDCJ disputed that account. In a statement provided to KFDM, TDCJ Director of Communications Amanda Hernandez said the document provided by the sheriff’s office was undated and that the agency had no record of receiving it. Hernandez stated that TDCJ reviewed the records submitted by Jefferson County and found no detainer, warrant or hold associated with Davis. She also said a checklist included in the submission contained a section for counties to indicate outstanding detainers or holds and that section was left blank.

Lowe wrote that government agencies owe the public answers and said a review is needed to determine how the release occurred, whether anyone failed in their duties and what safeguards should be implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service, continue to search for Davis. Authorities have warned that anyone assisting him could face criminal charges.

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