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 . 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. Reagan was booked into the jail after being indicted on federal charges on Jan. 10, 2020. By the time detention officers arrived nearly an hour . Echoing Williams, Maughan said many of the current deaths are related to drug overdoses, particularly from fentanyl. A detention officer serving breakfast was alerted to an unresponsive detainee inside a cell Wednesday morning, according to the news release. Whoops! Six detention officers at the Oklahoma County jail have been charged with assault and mistreatment of inmates since October. Shane Tuell said. Officials did not provide the cause of his death. 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. The outcome of Thorps multi-county grand jury investigation remains unknown, but criminal indictments for those involved in the jails operation and management could be possible. Updated: Sep 13, 2022 / 06:14 PM CDT. . Cause of death: The state Medical Examiner determined he died from COVID-19. National incarceration rates increased some in late 2020 as courts resumed normal operations, but remain far lower than pre-pandemic levels. Name: Lance SolomonAge: 55Died: Jan. 8, 2020Location: Logan Co. But it isnt possible without your support. Iski said there is no investigation pending into Reagans death and no foul play is suspected. * Use the following credit line at the end of the story, with oklahomawatch.org hyperlinked online: Oklahoma Watch, atoklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state., by Keaton Ross, Oklahoma Watch February 9, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. 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 . It was impossible to be bored around him, Oldham said. Due to pre-existing medical issues, some deaths are unrelated to a detainees time in our facility. Its actually worse than has been out in public, Calvey, who is running for district attorney, said during a debate hosted by NonDoc in June As I said, the former sheriff was not at all transparent. This work is essential to a better-informed community and a healthy democracy. We always take it seriously when people die in our jail. The death was the second one in the week. But he was a good person. What happened: Another prisoner alerted jailers that Level was unresponsive. 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. Between 2016 and 2019, the jails mortality rate was 4.77 deaths per 1,000 inmates. 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. Jail and prison populations across the U.S. are aging, and a disproportionate number of inmates suffer from chronic medical conditions and mental illness. The Council for the Study of Community Colleges 2021 Program - Flip eBook Pages 1-50 | AnyFlip. Brad Lane screamed for help repeatedly the night he was beaten to death by his cellmate in the Oklahoma County Detention Center in January. Shes haunted by thoughts that she could have tried to scrape together enough money to post his bond. Name: Michael GuthrieAge: 47Died: Jan. 13, 2020Location: Muskogee County JailCause and manner of death: UndeterminedWhat happened: Guthrie was assaulted by another inmate on January 3, and taken to a hospital for treatment according to KTUL. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? mail It was just after 2 a.m. on a Saturday in December 2019 when two detention officers took John Basco from his cell and forced him to listen to the song on repeat for two hours while standing with his hands cuffed to a metal bar, according to a court affidavit. Typically when someone dies in the jail, family members will seek litigation, which is completely their right, Blumert said. The night of the attack, Brown was being held in the jail on charges of aggravated assault and attempted first degree robbery. Oklahoma County Jail trust takes over. Brewer is also accused of punching a male detainee in the head with a closed fist while the prisoner was using the toilet and refused to return to his cell. During that same time period, the Tulsa County Jail saw 34 inmate deaths, while Cleveland County recorded seven deaths. Did we miss an incident or would you like to talk to us about one listed below? In some cases, there were prosecutions of jail staff, and I will point out that is a small minority of people that work at the jail., In the face of mass migration, we can learn from Oklahomas young people, Valentine voting: For the love of democracy, Out of Character: Jenna Miller explores body positivity, queer identity, Last week on This Old Attorney Generals Office, Budget hearing previews the last ride of Mark McBride, sued the county and jail trust over bed bugs, Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, Interim Oklahoma County Jail CEO Brandi Garner strives to be more communicative, Commissioners designate $40 million for mental health facility near new jail, Maughan: Oklahoma County elected official pay increase unfair to some, 10 unexpected moments our team witnessed in 2022, Change: Embattled Oklahoma County Jail chief Greg Williams resigns, Oklahoma County Jail: Inspection highlights more problems, Williams may resign, You are not welcome: Without shelter, resources limited for Edmonds unhoused, Potency caps, seed-to-sale vendor reboot among Legislatures 2023 marijuana measures, Education roundup: Catholic charter school, property tax mistake, OSDE changes and Epic, House moves education plan: $500 million of new funding, new parental choice tax credit, Legislature has more money to allocate, but Senate sour on House education price tag. The man said he feared for his life after a previous incident in which an inmate attacked him while he was working alone in one of the jail housing units. With five months left in 2022, this year's current total of 12 is likely to . Yalartai had not been checked in almost 12 hours . He was placed in a cell for medical observation. Thats why you hear more things now than in the past. During the public comment portion of Mondays meeting, group member Christopher Johnston called for a federal takeover of the jail. 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. Oklahoma County detention officer fired after jail suicide, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 0:05. What happened: Knox tested positive for Covid-19, but also had other health conditions and was undergoing dialysis at the time of his death, according to Oklahoma County officials. Jail nurses performed CPR on the man. She attempted two numbers that she had been told to use to no avail and then was advised of a third. Email Kassie@readfrontier.com or brianna@readfrontier.com. The phone number is 828-250-4474. What happened: A Broken Bow police officer discovered Dabbs unresponsive in a holding cell. I believe its a culture issue and not just the facility, Prater said. 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. Location: Cherokee County Detention Center in Tahlequah. From 2016 through 2019, the jail had 40 deaths and an average annual mortality rate of 4.77 deaths per 1,000 inmates. The Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office reported 254 cases of prisoners assaulting detention officers in 2018. There's little disagreement about the jail's state. While Oklahoma lawmakers have proposed several dozen criminal justice and corrections bills, significant bail reform is not on the table this legislative session. Just after 4 p.m. local time, as medication was being given to the inmates, the officer was overpowered and taken . And to avoid any appearance of impropriety, I voluntarily disqualified our office.. On July 5, jail administrator Greg Williams presented the jail trust with his monthly report. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The former head of Oklahoma's prison system was appointed Monday to the Oklahoma County Jail 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. When the officer opened the cell, he saw the inmate had died, the report says. Outside of hourly sight checks and meal deliveries, the men were mostly left alone on the pod, he said. Of the 148 Oklahoma inmate deaths identified in the Reuters investigation, 141 were awaiting trial and had not been convicted. And deaths are not the only causes of lawsuits. By submitting more than 1,500 open records requests to local jails and government agencies, Reuters gained access to inmate death data from 523 jails in 44 states. Cause and manner of death: The state Medical Examiner determined Taylor died from a seizure of unknown origin. What happened: An inmate collapsed in the jail day room. Friday, June 25th 2021, 7:56 pm. The panels report also says staff should check on inmates if they have experienced a major life event, like being convicted of serious crime or losing a family member. He believes the detention officers singled him out for the punishment after he rigged the old, faulty lock in his cell so he could walk freely around the jail pod, shower and use a toilet with more privacy than the one in his shared living area. 139 talking about this. Oklahoma County Jail deaths this year include the following: Jail administrator Greg Williams, who was hired by the trust to run the jail when it took over the facility from the sheriff in 2020, said in a statement to NonDoc that jail staff continue to work to reduce inmate deaths. His family sued the Oklahoma Department of Corrections a year later, claiming that prison staff failed to prevent his death. Hes been named in court records as a witness to Lanes death. 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. There were 73 deaths at the Oklahoma County Jail from 2000 to 2019, according to data gathered by Oklahoma Watch and Reuters. However, the agency has repeatedly declined requests to make facility-level data available to the public. They are chronically understaffed, and I believe the trust has been dishonest about their staffing levels. 'Nique for Calling Herself the First Plus-Size Rom-Com Star. In 2021, Prater received permission to impanel a grand jury to investigate, among other things, lethal uncorrected mismanagement of the Oklahoma County Jail under the supervision of the jail trust. The Department of Justice called on Oklahoma County to fix the locks in 2008 but it wasnt until 2019 that the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office spent $1 million to install new locking mechanisms on about a third of the jails 1,200 cells. Brewer clenched a pair of handcuffs in his fist as he delivered blows to the mans head, prosecutors allege. What happened: Tharp was unconscious so someone performed CPR on him, according to a jail incident report. First responders pronounced him dead at the jail. Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 39, of Oklahoma City, was being held on the jail's medical floor on a felony assault and battery charge. NonDoc regrets the error.). 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. Richards was found unresponsive in his cell by staff distributing medicine. It also means that person is not having to sober up in a jail cell where there might be additional psychological stress that could prompt a mental health episode.. The pay is low, about $3,000 a month, and working conditions can be dangerous. But friends believe Lane shouldnt have been placed in a cell with Brown, who was charged with violent crimes. 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 frequency of deaths at the jail has been particularly high in the past couple of years.