And deaths are not the only causes of lawsuits. He had to have known that he was dying, Baumann said. I dont know anyone involved that takes that lightly. Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 39, of Oklahoma City, was being held on the jail's medical floor on a felony assault and battery charge. Emergency responders declared Taylor at the scene. There are members of the trust who are county officers who are advised and represented by our office at times, Prater told The Oklahomans Nolan Clay. Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2023, Listen Frontier: Sen. James Lankford speaks with The Frontier about abortion, immigration and more, Frontier content sharing and collaboration terms. While the jail trust says it has increased the amount of time prisoners spend out of their cells by 20 percent, staffing shortages mean prisoners dont always get enough time out of their cells to shower, according to interviews with former detention officers and prisoners. . The medical unit is located on the 13th floor, a fact that can be problematic in an emergency because of the need to use elevators to get to the ground level from the top floor. Changes in our intake process also help identify individuals who are in need of medical or mental health care. About 30 minutes later, Reagan appeared to again have a seizure. Lightfoot is among the . Click this link or the red button below to support our mission. On Oct. 22, 2015, 26-year-old Terral Ellis, Jr. died of sepsis and pneumonia after staff at the Ottawa County Jail mocked him and ignored his pleas for medical attention for several hours. What happened: A jailer found Rhodes laying on the floor of his cell, blue and unresponsive after he did not get up for breakfast. The last time he was seen outside of his cell was at 11:14 p.m. Bishop was booked into the jail on June 6, 2021, on charges of first-degreemurder and second-degree murder, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network. The national average is 1.46 deaths per 1,000 inmates. The first death occurred on Jan. 2 when 40-year-old Brad Leon Lane was allegedly killed by his . Documented insufficient staffing levels and the overall poor condition of the 30-year old jail building have contributed to high death rates and a lack of basic rights for prisoners at the jail over the past decade. The death was the second one in the week. Just after 4 p.m. local time, as medication was being given to the inmates, the officer was overpowered and taken . I wanted to share first that they did have praise for the jail administration and leadership that is currently there. Six states Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont were excluded from the investigation because their state corrections department oversees pretrial detention facilities. Friends and family remember 40-year old Lane as smart, kind and good with children. On July 5, jail administrator Greg Williams presented the jail trust with his monthly report. The national average was 1.46 over that period, according to data compiled by Oklahoma Watch. In my experience, in this office for 16 years, Ive never seen anything like it in my life.. Theyll finally come. The inmate was shot and killed by Oklahoma City police officers, officials said. That suit cost the county $1.1 million. His cellmate Shaquile Brown is now charged with first-degree murder, accused of using a metal brace from the walking boot to beat Lane to death. Between 2016 and 2019, the jails mortality rate was 4.77 deaths per 1,000 inmates. Quintana-Lujan was booked into Maricopa County Jail on Sunday on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation. Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Contact him at (405) 831-9753 or Kross@Oklahomawatch.org. His cellmate was charged with first-degree murder. Many U.S. jail inmates remain incarcerated because they cannot afford cash bail. The Oklahoma Medical Examiners office now has the body and will determine the cause of death. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Stephens, 21, was found dead from suicide inside the jail in early 2021. Six detention officers at the Oklahoma County jail have been charged with assault and mistreatment of inmates since October. TPD has requested that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigate Wards death. We work closely with our medical provider to identify detainees with severe physical and mental health issues, and alert the courts to help facilitate their release when appropriate.. Ward told officers upon arrest that she did not feel well, TPD Sgt. Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2023, Listen Frontier: Sen. James Lankford speaks with The Frontier about abortion, immigration and more, Frontier content sharing and collaboration terms. I can stay connected with Loretta (Radford), who I appointed as my member to the trust, but I dont have a lot of authority over telling them how to run the jail.. According to data compiled by Prison Policy Initiative, from 2000 to 2018, suicide was the leading cause of deaths for those incarcerated in city and county jails, accounting for around 30 percent of deaths. His family had repeatedly contacted the jails administrative staff about his mental state in the months prior to his death, according to a report by The Frontier. To say Im concerned or to say its concerning that just sounds like Im minimizing it, Prater said. With five months left in 2022, this year's current total of 12 is likely to . Prater said hes hopeful that Thorps investigation will lead to fewer deaths and dangerous situations at the jail, and he added that he doesnt think the planned new jail will necessarily solve the entire problem. As long as Oklahoma County has been able to show it has been making some effort to make improvements, the Department of Justice has not pressed the issue, said Francie Ekwerekwu, who sits on the jail trust. Autrey spoke to The Frontier in a video call from the jail, where he is being held on property and drug-related charges. They raised concerns regarding conflicts of interest. They have a lot more liberty to do what they want because so many officers have either left and went to another job or resigned or have just been fired, the man said. Andy Ngo reports for the Post Millenial that "so far, six Antifa defendants took plea deals over their role in the attack and are awaiting sentencing. District 2 County Commissioner Brian Maughan said that while its important to take each death seriously, there are a variety of factors that contribute to fatalities. Oklahoma Countys agreement with the Department of Justice required it to hire enough staff so that each jail housing unit or pod would have at least one detention officer to continuously monitor prisoners. After another 15 minutes had passed, the man appeared to have another seizure, according to the report. Seven inmates have died there in the last three months and at least 84 inmates there have died since 2009, a rate more than double the national average. Three of the former detention officers charged involving alleged assaults on prisoners occured after the jail trust took over. He was found Feb. 26 unresponsive in his cell by staff doing routine checks. Medical staff continued resuscitation efforts until Oklahoma City firefightersarrived and took over, according to the statement. While Oklahoma lawmakers have proposed several dozen criminal justice and corrections bills, significant bail reform is not on the table this legislative session. He had been booked March 23; On the evening of March 11, jail staff found Charles Moore, 48, unresponsive in his cell while passing out medication. Iski said there is no investigation pending into Reagans death and no foul play is suspected. There were 73 deaths at the Oklahoma County Jail from 2000 to 2019, according to data gathered by Oklahoma Watch and Reuters. Oklahoma County officials have tried for years to secure funding to build a new jail, with no success. He said he believes the Department of Justice should seek a court order in highly complex cases like the one involving the Oklahoma County Detention Center. Shane Tuell said. I said please, fix my door or whatever you want, just please turn off the music.. According to a Reuters News investigation published last October, 148 inmates housed in Oklahomas 11 largest county jails died from 2009 through 2019. Gregory Davis, 53 (DOB 5-10-68), who was alone in his cell, was found unresponsive by jail staff who were making a mental health check at 9:12 a.m. Thursday, August 12. There were situations in which inmates were abused. Most Oklahoma jails lack the funding and resources necessary to implement these kinds of changes. They moved her into an isolation cell to detox after she got into an altercation with another inmate. TheState Medical Examiners Office will make a final determination of the cause of Bishop's death. Name: Lorri Gayle Tedder Age: 55 Died: Nov. 11, 2019 Location: Rogers County jail Cause and manner of death: Undetermined What happened: Tedder became combative with jail staff and hit her head on a glass window on Nov. 7, 2019, according to an incident report the jail submitted to the state jail inspector.She continued to fight but then became unresponsive once placed in a cell, the report . February 27, 2023 (96 years old) View obituary. The Department of Justice declined to comment or provide basic details on the status of its settlement with Oklahoma County. Garcia had been booked into the jail on March 21; Detention center staff found Dustin Revas, 26, unresponsive in his cell at about 2 a.m. on March 28. We cant do it without your support. Brewer beat her before spraying her face and torso with pepper spray as she lay naked on the floor of the shower in a fetal position, according to the womans account. Critical design flaws make it difficult for staff to respond to emergencies. Between 2016 and 2019, the jails mortality rate was 4.77 deaths per 1,000 inmates. The Department of Justice was on site for about three days, and they brought several experts in the mental health field, medical field and in detention facilities, said Williams, who serves as outside counsel for the trust. Administrators at the Oklahoma County Detention Center addressed the death of an inmate during a hostage situation and problems the jail is facing. August 11, 2021. House Bill 2295, a measure that would make domestic violence and stalking defendants ineligible for personal recognizance bond, is the only bail-related bill listed on the Oklahoma State Legislature tracking website. OKLAHOMA CITY -. Women typically have a 7 percent higher mortality rate than men while incarcerated in city and county jails. Its time that we start doing something about this issue and stop bullshitting.. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? 1:00. What happened: A nurse conducting medical rounds found Denton unresponsive on her bunk in a cell. Solomon became ill at the jail and was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital where he died a month later, according to the state Medical Examiner. Share. He had been booked on June 28; Shawn Slavens was one month shy of his 46th birthday when staff responded to a fight inside a cell on June 25. To combat suicides, the panel concluded that jails need to hire more mental health professionals and expand video technology. But there are some circumstances behind some of the people that come into the jail who are absolutely determined to harm themselves, and if someone is that determined, it is very hard to prevent that.. Law students, led by professor Madalyn Wasilczuk, compiled data showing 777 deaths across 52 facilities, including state-run prisons, local detention centers, and a . What happened: A jailer passing out food trays for breakfast discovered Taylor laying on the floor of his cell. Gregory Davis, 53 (DOB 5-10-68), who was alone in his cell, was found "unresponsive" by jail staff who were making a mental health check at 9:12 a.m. Thursday, August 12. By: Mike Glover. We lost another human being. Smith led the special litigation section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice from 2010 to 2015. Stillwater, Oklahoma. He reportedly also had a cut on the back of his head, the report states. They are maintained and available for public. Reagan again had a medical episode at the hospital, where he later died, Iski said. There are more than 354,000 Oklahomans who identified as having Mexican heritage in the last census count, most of whom will finally be able to take advantage of consular services without traveling to Little Rock. Ellis was booked into the jail after failing to appear in court on a DUI charge. He was probably thinking, somebody will come. Its fatal if even small amounts are consumed. Jail transport was told he needed to be taken to a hospital. Jacob Beaumont, director of advocacy and criminal justice reform at Mental Health Association Oklahoma, said its important that jail staff receive regular mental health and suicide prevention training. But the jail employs and is budgeted for fewer detention officers now than it was in 2008, when the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office employed 377 officers and was budgeted for 490 total employees, according to data the county reported to the Department of Justice that year. Joshua England, a 21-year-old inmate at the Joseph Harp Correctional Center, died of appendicitis in May 2018 after his five written requests for medical attention were ignored. Those housed at the center are given 10 hours to sober up and receive immediate access to substance abuse treatment. With five months left in 2022, this years current total of 12 is likely to grow. Knox had been in custody since July in lieu of a $10,000 bond for failing to make a court appearance in January. The inmate, Brad Lane, was beaten with his own medical walking boot on Jan. 2, 2021, as he screamed for 40 minutes for help. The jail's poor design makes it difficult for staff to see through every cell . Brewer, who stands 6-foot-2 inches tall and weighs 280 pounds, is accused of punching a naked female prisoner in the face with a closed fist in August. Yalartai had not been checked in almost 12 hours . There were 14 deaths at the jail in 2021, according to Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner Keith Reed. 1:21. The duties of a detention officer are highly stressful and demanding, and not everyone is the right fit for that role, Williams wrote. Its people. During that same time period, the Tulsa County Jail saw 34 inmate deaths, while Cleveland County recorded seven deaths. Both of those incidents happened while the jail was still being operated by the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Department, but there are lawsuits related to more recent incidents in the pipeline. Federal inspectors found inadequate supervision and staffing at the jail, a lack of basic medical and mental health care, overcrowding and a high rate of inmate assaults and deaths. The first of the dozen deaths to occur in the Oklahoma County Jail this year happened in the second week of January, and the jail has averaged 1.7 deaths per month through July. The detention officer immediately began CPR and called for medical assistance and other personnel. But it isnt possible without your support. A fifth "unannounced follow-up" health inspection of the Oklahoma County jail, conducted by the Oklahoma State Health Department on Oct. 12 found 24 repeat deficiencies cited in previous . Records show the jail now employs fewer detention officers to supervise prisoners than it did in 2008. Heatherington was found unresponsive. An Oklahoma County jail inmate died, causing authorities to investigate. Second-degree manslaughter charges were filed and later dismissed against Turn Key staff in the 2016 death of Anthony Huff, who was strapped to a restraint chair in Garfield County jail for 48 hours without adequate food or water, court records show. Tuell said Ward was involved in no altercations and did not indicate she was a danger to herself. Oklahoma County transitioned control of the jail from the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office to a public trust in July 2020 in hopes of reform, but problems have persisted. Chairman Jim Couch simply thanked him for the report and moved that it be accepted by the trust. a doctor declared Gonzales deceased at 4:57 p.m.The cause of death is unknown at this time.Gonzales was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on Oct. 16, 2021. Did we miss an incident or would you like to talk to us about one listed below? What happened: Tharp was unconscious so someone performed CPR on him, according to a jail incident report. It was traumatic for us, Autrey said, who was in a cell about five feet away from Lane, I kept telling him to fight back.. The U.S. Department of Justice has repeatedly documented dangerous conditions at the jail that it found violated prisoners civil rights since at least 2003, but the agency has failed to enforce the terms of a settlement requiring the county to adequately fund and staff the facility. Shes haunted by thoughts that she could have tried to scrape together enough money to post his bond. About half of Oklahomas jail deaths were caused by illness and another quarter by suicide. Echoing Williams, Maughan said many of the current deaths are related to drug overdoses, particularly from fentanyl. Some jail staff quit last year after the jail trust cracked down the use of physical force against prisoners, said one former detention officer who was fired by the new administration in 2020 after an altercation with an inmate who refused to return to his cell in order to take a shower. But cell doors throughout most of the facility have faulty doors and locking mechanisms that prisoners can easily rig to open to move around freely in their housing units and maybe even sneak in an unsanctioned shower. Its actually worse than has been out in public, Calvey, who is running for district attorney, said, hosted by NonDoc in June As I said, the former sheriff was not at all transparent. No member of the trust questioned Williams on the circumstances of the deaths. 631. Whoops! He definitely didnt deserve what he got.. The national average was 1.46 over that period, according to data, We had several lawsuits against the county for things involved in the jail. Jailers placed Reagan in a wheelchair and took him to the nursing office to be assessed, the report states. Email Kassie@readfrontier.com or brianna@readfrontier.com. * Include the Oklahoma Watch logo (found here). Paramedics and firefighters started to administer CPR and continued as they took Davis to the hospital. 139 talking about this. They are chronically understaffed, and I believe the trust has been dishonest about their staffing levels. Williams began his remarks by mentioning that there had been three deaths at the jail since they trust last met. While understaffing and high death rates have continued, the deadline for compliance passed more than six years ago and the federal government has taken no further legal action. Prater said the number of deaths at the jail since the trust took over in 2020 is unprecedented in his eyes. The jail had an average annual death rate of 3.3 per 1,000 inmates over the past 10 years, more than double the national average, according data compiled by Reuters. There are about 547,000 people housed inside Americas city and county jails, and, while most of them leave those facilities alive, some do not. He died from his injuries July 11; On July 2, Corey McMichael died at an OKC hospital after being transported there from the jails medical unit because he was experiencing health related issues. McMichael, 46, had been in the jail since Aug. 7 of last year; Inmate Melvin Loveless, 44, died by suicide in his cell on June 22 and was found by staff. He was placed in a cell for medical observation. Oklahoma County Jail death makes eight in 2021 investigation begins. Merrell was oxygen dependent and under doctors care on the medical floor during his entire stay, according to a news release from the jail. The trust voted on Friday to ask the county for $5.9 million in funding to repair the doors and locks as well as to fix or replace other aging equipment at the jail. Jail staff then called for medical staff who started resuscitation efforts while calling for an ambulance. 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