July 20, 2026 - Shelby County Sheriff’s Chief Mike Hanson has confirmed the in-custody death of James Elliot Perry, Jr., 49, of Center.
As is protocol, Chief Hanson explained the Sheriff’s Department has an ongoing internal investigation, corresponding information has been supplied to the Texas Department of Jail Standards and the Texas Rangers will lead an independent investigation.
According to Shelby County Jail information, Perry was arrested for disorderly conduct (indecent exposure) on Saturday evening, July 18, 2026, and he was booked in to the jail at 10:11pm. While in custody, Perry died.
Mangum Funeral Home later transported Perry sometime before 9am on Sunday, July 19, and an autopsy has been ordered.
Further information is unavailable at the time of this report, and will be updated as details are made available.
(Update - July 21): According to the State of Texas custodial death report, Perry’s time of death was 7:19am. A medical examiner has conducted an evaluation to determine the manner of his death and those results are pending.
The report indicates that Perry appeared intoxicated and exhibited mental health issues during the incident for which he was arrested and he was placed in a restraint chair.
A summary of how Perry’s death occurred confirms that he entered into the Shelby County Jail on July 18, 2026 at approximately 10:11pm and the initial call of service to deputies was to go check on a male subject that appeared to be intoxicated and “mental.” Upon deputies arriving, the report alleges they found James Elliot Perry "in the front yard completely exposed" and that a witness told deputies he was showing his genitals to an 11-year-old female.
The summary goes on to report that the deputy called Chief Deputy Mike Hanson to get approval to bring Perry in on a disorderly conduct (misdemeanor) charge so that he could receive a mental health evaluation by the Burke Center. Perry was entered into the jail and he was alleged to be “mentally altered.”
Perry was placed in a Holding Cell on 10-minute observation and mental health checks and also placed in a suicide smock for his safety until cleared by the Burke Center, according to the summary.
The summary report alleges that Perry was “all over the floor,” and “hitting the partition in the cell.” To keep Perry from injuring himself, while obvious intoxication and mental health signs were being shown, jailers made the decision to place Perry in a restraint chair as a prevention to keep him from physically harming himself.
Perry continued to show visible signs of intoxication after being placed in the restraint chair, according to the report. At approximately 6:51am a jailer was conducting a face-to-face check on Perry when he was found to be unresponsive.
As of this report, the medical cause of death was “unknown.”
