Smith County inmate dies by suicide inside cell, sheriff says

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The Smith County Sheriff's Office has reported that an inmate died on Thursday in his cell. At around 12:50 p.m. on February 9, a detention officer alerted staff of an emergency situation in a side cell of the Smith County Jail, according to the sheriff's office statement. Officers immediately responded to the cell and saw that an inmate had wrapped an electrical cord around his neck and hanged himself. Detention staff cut the cord and paramedics began CPR on the inmate but were unable to revive him. The statement said the inmate had at some point pulled the electrical cord from the inmate phone box, and was able to hide it from staff inside his cell. The deceased inmate is identified as Nathan Lee Johns, 28, of Flint, Texas. As is Smith County Sheriff's Office protocol, Sheriff Larry Smith contacted the Texas Rangers to conduct an investigation into the suicide.