A maintenance worker who had worked more than 20 years for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) died from COVID-19 this week.
Maintenance Supervisor Michael Harper, 56, died late Tuesday night after being on a ventilator in a Tyler area hospital for more than six weeks.
Harper first sought treatment for COVID-19 symptoms on Oct. 13. Less than a week later, he was hospitalized after suffering respiratory complications.
Harper had more than 22 years of service with TDJC and was assigned to the Skyview/Hodge complex in Rusk.
“Michael Harper was always the first to contribute to TDCJ in every way he could even volunteering for service above and beyond his normal duties,” TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and we hope they are blessed with the knowledge that he was a kind and caring man willing to help anyone day or night.”
Harper was a "guiding light" for those who knew him, the TDCJ Facilities Division Director Cody Ginsel said.
Texas’ prison system has had more prisoners test positive for COVID-19 than any other state, according to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the criminal justice system.
The Texas prison system also received an "F" rating from the Correctional Officer Association of Texas.
"They have not acted responsibly," said Lance Lowry, the association's spokesperson.
The TDCJ has had 24 employees who have died in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
