On February 2, 2021, Detention Officer Robert Perez passed away from complications of COVID-19. He was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Harris County Jail for 5 years, working shoulder to shoulder with his fellow detention officers to ensure the well-being of everyone there – jail support staff, medical personnel, and those entrusted in our custody. He is the fourth Harris County Sheriff’s Office employee to die after contracting COVID-19.

Because his community needed him, Detention Officer Perez consistently reported for duty during a difficult and unprecedented time. He understood the responsibility of his role and was honored to earn the public’s faith and trust every time he put his uniform on.

He answered the call for service at an early age, enlisting in the U.S. Navy the same year he graduated Brazosport High School in 1985. He served his country for nearly 10 years, rising to the rank of E-3 and holding a position as a radio man with top security clearance.