Inmate Sentenced to 99 Years for Attacking San Patricio County Jail Officers
SAN PATRICIO COUNTY - San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera announced that inmate Kelvin Hart Dawe, 31, has been sentenced to 99 years in prison, along with additional sentences of 10 and 5 years for assaulting two other jailers during an attack inside the county jail.
Photo courtesy of San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera.
Dawe was originally arrested by the Ingleside Police Department in April 2023 and charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. He was later indicted on that charge. While awaiting trial, Dawe was considered a dangerous inmate who required special supervision from jail staff.
In May 2024, about a year after his arrest, Dawe brutally attacked a senior corrections officer with a homemade weapon. Two additional officers were injured as they attempted to subdue him. Sheriff Rivera’s office did not release details of the assault at the time to avoid interfering with Dawe’s pending criminal case.
In May 2025, a San Patricio County jury found Dawe guilty of the original aggravated assault charge and sentenced him to 20 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The Sheriff’s Office kept Dawe in custody to proceed with prosecution on the jail assault case. Thanks to the efforts of the District Attorney’s Office and local judges, that case was expedited and brought to trial this week.
The jury found Dawe guilty of attacking the corrections officers and imposed a 99-year sentence, plus 10 and 5 additional years for the two other assaults.
Sheriff Rivera expressed his appreciation for the outcome, while emphasizing the challenges faced by jail staff. “It’s an absolute horror to see our hardworking staff get brutally assaulted trying to do their jobs,” Rivera said. “This verdict sends a strong message.”
Rivera also highlighted the ongoing overcrowding crisis at the San Patricio County Jail. The facility has been operating over capacity for weeks, forcing the county to contract with Comanche, Zavala, Aransas, Bee, Burleson, and Gonzales counties to house overflow inmates. Those contracts currently cost local taxpayers about $70,000 per month, with costs expected to rise as more transfers are arranged.
The Sheriff noted that 68 convicted inmates are waiting to be transferred to TDCJ, along with 18 parole violators awaiting state hearings. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of putting up a ‘No Vacancy’ sign,” Rivera said. “We continue to book new arrests daily from area police departments, our deputies, and the DPS. We’re grateful for the community’s support as we work to address this ongoing crisis.”
