Former Dallas County jail inmate says staph infection left him paralyzed, sues jail

Sheldon Brown once fought with his fists. Now, the 50-year-old is fighting for the chance to walk again. He is also suing Dallas County and Parkland Health, the jail's healthcare provider.

Brown says a staph infection he contracted while incarcerated at the Dallas County jail left him paralyzed from the waist down. He alleges he was denied timely medical treatment.

"I didn't believe it. I still don't believe it sometimes, but I just be strong, man, and keep on pushing," Brown said. "I had no other choice."

Brown's life has been marked by fights inside and outside the boxing ring.

As a teenager in California, he says he was shot six times as an innocent bystander. The injuries interrupted his education, but he later earned his GED after moving to Texas.

In 1998, Brown was convicted of murder in a shooting he maintains was self-defense. He served more than 20 years of a 30-year sentence.

In December 2023, Brown was jailed again, this time on a charge of compelling prostitution of a minor. Court records show the charge was dismissed. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office has not explained why.

Brown says that incarceration changed his life forever.

According to Brown, his cellmate had a staph infection. Days later, Brown began feeling sick and struggled to walk.

He claims repeated requests for medical attention went unanswered as his condition deteriorated.

"I sat back down and never got back up," Brown recalled.

Brown says detention officers eventually carried him from his cell, dropping him in the process. He claims he was initially evaluated by medical staff and returned to his cell despite being unable to walk.

He remembers leaving the jail on a stretcher on September 17, 2024.

Brown was taken to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed a spinal epidural abscess infected with staph. He underwent emergency surgery. The infection was so severe that a second surgery was required to remove dead tissue.

By then, the abscess had caused permanent damage to his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

His attorney, Blerim Elmazi, argues the jail and its healthcare provider failed to respond to an escalating medical emergency.

"Days go by before he gets the level of treatment he actually needs, the emergency surgery he needed," Elmazi said.

The lawsuit also raises questions about sanitation and infection prevention inside the county jail.

"They say cleanliness is right next to godliness," Brown said. "You're supposed to make sure that at least the environment's clean. At least that. That's the least you can do."

Elmazi says the lawsuit is about accountability and preventing similar injuries.

"We're not here to say Dallas County Jail needs to be the next Hilton Hotel," he said. "But there are bare minimum standards of cleanliness that the law requires."

CBS News Texas has not independently established where Brown contracted the infection or whether earlier treatment would have prevented his paralysis.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has not responded to questions about the lawsuit.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who chairs the jail's sanitation and maintenance committee, confirmed officials have been briefed on the complaint, and an investigation is underway. He declined further comment, citing pending litigation.

For Brown, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom.

"It's a hell of a transition from being independent and not being able to go to the restroom," he said, explaining that he can no longer feel when he needs to relieve himself.

Still, the former boxer refuses to surrender hope.

Each morning, Brown stretches what he can move. In his mind, he throws punches. He imagines walking again.

"I try to imagine I'm walking and trying to force something to maybe come back," he said.

"And they say the worst type of lie is to tell it to yourself. So I don't think it's a lie. I just tell myself one day maybe I'll get it back."