Cleburne Teen Strangled In Juvenile Center Tug-Of-War

GRANBURY (CBSDFW.COM) - A tug-of-war game inside juvenile detention has left a Cleburne teenager dead.

Jordan Adams, 14, and another inmate at the Granbury Regional Juvenile Justice Center in Hood County were using a bed sheet for the game of tug-of-war between the cells.

Granbury Police Captain Alan Hines says it looks like Adams tied the sheet around his neck.

KRLD's Chuck Schechner reports:

Hines says the boys could not see each other between the cells, so it is unclear if the other boy was unaware of Adams' actions.  Detective Chris Cogdill says they are treating the case as a homicide. "Based on witness statements, I believe the actor knew that the victim was choking and continued to pull the bed sheet."

The incident happened a week ago. Adams was rushed to a Fort Worth hospital and died Sunday from his injuries.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner says the boy died from asphyxiation due to strangulation.

Adams' grandfather Cecil Hughes told CBS 11 he was hoping his grandson might get some help at the center.  "I guess the facility wasn't the place to get it."

The detention center is run by a private company, 4M Youth Services.  Hughes says the company told him someone checked on the boys ever 15 minutes.  That's not sitting well with the grandfather.  "I just think they should have been watching them better than that, you know? Knowing all of them in there have got problems or they wouldn't be in there."

According to state records obtained by CBS 11, the facility hasn't always met the state-mandated 15 minute standard.  In May of 2011, inspectors found room checks were exceeding the required time.  And in 2010, the facility was found to be deficient on at least two occasions of monitoring moderately suicidal youth every 10 minutes as the law requires.

Following the incident, the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission sent investigators to Granbury to determine how the choking could have happened in a facility equipped with guards and surveillance monitors.

The other boy, also 14, remains in the facility.  It will be up to Hood County authorities to decide if he will face any charges in connection to Adams' death. He has not been identified.