Miller County says jail inmate’s death was drug-related, denies 40-minute delay alleged in federal lawsuit
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Miller County says the March death of inmate Dominique Rashad Steel Sr. resulted from a “self-induced consumption of drugs” and that jail staff reached his cell within two to three minutes of being alerted, according to the county’s answer to a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of Steel’s two children.
The county’s response, filed July 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Texarkana Division, is the first public account of what caused Steel’s death. The sheriff’s office said in March that Steel’s body had been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsy, but no cause of death was announced.
Zoey Baca sued Miller County on June 9 on behalf of Steel’s two minor children, alleging jail staff ignored the screams of numerous inmates for more than 40 minutes while Steel, 30, suffered a medical emergency in his cell on or about Feb. 27. The complaint alleges Steel died March 1 and that the delay in obtaining medical assistance “greatly reduced Mr. Steel’s chances of survival and contributed to his death.”
The county denies that account. In its answer, the county states that correctional staff arrived within two to three minutes of notification, and that notification came not from inmates’ screams but from Steel’s cellmate pressing the emergency button in the cell.
While admitting Steel experienced a medical emergency, the county adds “the clarification the ‘medical emergency’ was a self-induced consumption of drugs” and admits Steel “died as a result of his self-induced consumption.”
At the time of Steel’s death, Sheriff Wayne Easley said foul play was not suspected.
County admits four prior jail deaths, denies safety failures
The lawsuit brings a single civil rights claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging the county’s indifference to inmates in its custody violated Steel’s Fourteenth Amendment rights. As evidence of a pattern, the complaint cites four other deaths at the Miller County jail: Charles Ziska, found hanged in his cell in 2023; Shelly Lang, found dead in her cell in 2024; Hayden Phipps, discovered hanging in his cell in 2024; and Harry Cooper, found unresponsive on his cell floor in 2025.
In its answer, the county admits each of those four deaths occurred but denies the complaint’s allegation that the jail “is ineffective at prioritizing the safety of its inmates and providing routine security checks.”
The county also admits the complaint’s descriptions of Arkansas Minimum Standards for Adult Criminal Detention Facilities — including requirements for around-the-clock awake and alert staffing, cell checks at intervals of no more than 60 minutes, emergency healthcare procedures, and staff trained in CPR and use of an automatic external defibrillator — but denies the complaint’s conclusion that the jail failed to meet those standards.
County argues Steel’s own conduct caused his death
Among more than a dozen affirmative defenses, the county argues that any injuries or damages “were proximately caused by the decedent’s own conduct” and that Steel’s actions “were the sole cause” of any damages claimed. The county asks that the case be dismissed for failure to state a claim, argues the complaint fails to plead any unconstitutional official custom, policy or practice, and asserts it is immune from punitive damages.
The county denies all wrongdoing and joins the plaintiffs’ request for a jury trial.
Miller County is represented by Jamie Jones Walsworth and Daniel Woodyard of Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP of Little Rock. The plaintiffs are represented by Jasmine M. Bernoudy of The Bernoudy Law Firm in Marshall, Texas.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages for Steel’s pain and suffering, mental anguish, and funeral expenses, along with attorney fees and costs. The complaint does not specify a dollar amount, but the civil cover sheet filed with the lawsuit lists a demand of $2,000,000,000 — two billion dollars.