Last hours of inmate Jacob Jones in jail reveals more about his death

Two people who were in the Crawford County Jail when Jacob Jones died in October have made statements about what they claim to have witnessed.

Their sworn statements have been released by Fort Smith attorney David Powell who is representing the family of Jones.

Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante has recently released more video from the jail showing paramedics trying to revive Jones before taking him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead Saturday, Oct. 15.

No jailers have been suspended or fired as the death has been investigated. Damante previously released video showing Jones swallowing a bag while handcuffed in a patrol car. Damante said the bag had drugs in it that Jones swallowed. An autopsy report on the cause of Jones' death has not been released.

More:Man who died in Crawford County jail swallowed bag of drugs, sheriff says

Jones was arrested Oct. 14 on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a prior drug delivery conviction in Crawford County.

In one of two sworn statement, Anthony Wallace, another inmate at the time, wrote about what he saw at the jail before Jones died. Wallace did not know Jones prior to the death. Wallace was in jail on a charge of assault and battery on a law officer, allegedly involving Levi White, a Crawford County Sheriff's deputy who has been fired after a separate excessive force case that happened in Mulberry in August.

Wallace made the following statement.

"David's nephew (Jacob Jones) was having trouble and needed medical help. He got up for breakfast and after I guess he started having trouble shortly after," Wallace wrote in the hand-written statement. "And they (jailers) was asked a couple of times before they found him dead to help and saying stuff about him being diabetic or something but no help came until a little after lunch when he didn't get up to eat."

Wallace also stated in the note, "His uncle (David Alverson) woke the pod up a couple of times going to the door and kicking it."

David Alverson Sr., the uncle of Jones, was also arrested in the same traffic stop in Van Buren when Jones was arrested Oct. 14.

Alverson's statement reads: "We was booked on 10-14-2022 after sitting in holding cell for about 6-7 hours, they moved us back to "F" pod. Myself and Jacob were placed on the floor with our mats," Alverson wrote. "Everything was fine till about breakfast and Jacob began sweating and having seizures. Myself and about eight other inmates notified several guards to check on him. Around lunch they brought trays. I went and got mine and Jacob's cause he couldn't walk when I got to him with his tray he wasn't breathing. I ran and got the guards and two male guards grabbed him and got him and drug him out of the pod."

He said video released by the sheriff's office does not include sound or video of all angles of what is taking place in the pod.

"They deny they knew anything about Jacob being sick or ill prior to serving lunch," Powell said.

Powell said he will continue to look into the circumstances of Jones' death.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Statements about Crawford County Jail inmate death released