Loveless had been booked into the jail on June 12; In the early morning hours of June 9, staff passing out breakfasts found an un-named man unresponsive in his cell after an apparent suicide. Winfred Lowe, 57, was found unresponsive in his cell by staff dispensing medication on Jan. 17. Many U.S. jail inmates remain incarcerated because they cannot afford cash bail. Oklahoma County has no dedicated sales tax to fund jail operations. First responders pronounced him dead at the jail. Tricia Everest, chairwoman of the jail trust, says the new administration has made positive changes at the detention center, including adding more classes and programs for prisoners and spending more money to provide higher quality food, but changing the employee culture takes time. What happened: A jailer passing out food trays for breakfast discovered Taylor laying on the floor of his cell. The facility has effectively been under federal oversight since 2009, when jail authorities and the DOJ entered into a memorandum of understanding to address ongoing civil rights concerns at the jail. In the event of a medical emergency, assault or mental health crisis, prisoners have to use a phone in their cells to call the command center for help, which then alerts detention officers to respond. I havent researched every jail in the country, but in talking to people who have come in to look at our jail and who have tried to improve it, its one of the worst jails in the country as far as inmate deaths, Prater said. The Frontier is again tracking every jail death in Oklahoma in 2020. State Question 781 would not have passed without State Question 780, which reduced many drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. This is the latest incident at a jail beleaguered by problems since its construction. OKLAHOMA CITY ( Free Press) A heart attack may be the cause of the eighth death of a detainee at the Oklahoma County Detention Center or Jail in 2022. Brian Cortez Lightfoot, Jr., 26, of Los Angeles, is one of 10 Antifa members indicted by a San Diego County grand jury over a Jan. 9, 2021, riot in Pacific Beach. Cause and manner of death: The state Medical Examiner determined Rhodes died from cardiac tamponade. Hes been named in court records as a witness to Lanes death. Cause and manner of death: Possible stroke. We cant do it without your support. TPD has opened an investigation into her death, Tuell said. Many of the dead were discovered unresponsive by staff making routine rounds. Name: Michael Reagan Jr.Age: 44Died: Jan. 13, 2020Location: Okmulgee County Criminal Justice AuthorityCause and manner of death: UndeterminedWhat happened: Updated story, Jan. 15, 2020: Reagan appeared to be having a seizure in his cell on January 13, according to an incident report jail staff sent to the state jail inspector. There are always ebbs and flows, Maughan said. 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. Location: Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City. Three of the former detention officers charged involving alleged assaults on prisoners occured after the jail trust took over. Administrators at the Oklahoma County Detention Center addressed the death of an inmate during a hostage situation and problems the jail is facing. The agreement acknowledged that Oklahoma County did not have sufficient funding to adequately staff or make improvements to jail and would need to ask voters to approve a tax increase or financing. February 23, 2023 (19 years old) View obituary. Every time Im notified of a death at the jail, my heart sinks, Blumert said. The jail trust has made it one of its top priorities to move to a system of direct supervision, but hiring enough staff to accomplish that goal has proved to be a challenge. 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 CITY (AP) The former head of Oklahoma's prison system was appointed Monday to the Oklahoma County Jail Trust. Seven prisoners have died at the Oklahoma County Detention Center in the past three months. Women typically have a 7 percent higher mortality rate than men while incarcerated in city and county jails. From 2016 through 2019, the jail had 40 deaths and an average annual mortality rate of 4.77 deaths per 1,000 inmates. Tuell said Ward was routinely checked in while at the jail, as inmates normally are. Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to stop posting online mug shots. Chairman Jim Couch simply thanked him for the report and moved that it be accepted by the trust. July 1, 2020: The Oklahoma County Jail Trust officially takes over management of the county jail, removing the sheriff's office from operations and bringing in a small team of administrators, most with experience from the state's corrections system. According to a Reuters News investigation published last October, 148 inmates housed in Oklahomas 11 largest county jails died from 2009 through 2019. Last week, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice visited the Oklahoma County jail for three days. He kept saying hes killing me, help me, hes killing me, said Christopher Autrey, who was held in a cell on the 13th floor near Lane. Theres no effective way to enforce the type of agreement that Oklahoma County entered into with the Department of Justice it basically amounts to an out-of-court settlement, said Jonathan M. Smith, executive director for the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Even before the jail trust took over the jail, in July 2020, Oklahoma County was well ahead of the national average for jail deaths. After another 15 minutes had passed, the man appeared to have another seizure, according to the report. County jail administrators address inmate death, jail conditions. Oklahoma County Jail trust takes over. The frequency of deaths at the jail has been particularly high in the past couple of years. Original story: Reagan experienced a medical episode shortly after being booked into the jail, said District 25 District Attorney Carol Iski. There were situations in which inmates were abused. During the public comment portion of Mondays meeting, group member Christopher Johnston called for a federal takeover of the jail. 631. More: A new Oklahoma County jail has been proposed, but how will the county pay for it? An incarcerated person is three times more likely to attempt suicide than someone on the outside. Follow him on Twitter at @_KeatonRoss. 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. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. In the June 28 election, Oklahoma County voters approved fundingto build a new jail, but that new facility is still years away from being a reality. Oklahoma City Public Schools, which contracts with the jail to provide basic education for prisoners at the jail under the age of 18, says it cant guarantee a minimum four hours of classroom time a day, in part because of low staffing levels and elevators that constantly break down. When you call, give the staff member the name of who you are looking for and a birthdate or age if you have it. Were en route to losing 20 to 24 this year. 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.. We will update this page as more information is . They raised concerns regarding conflicts of interest. OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) Thursday, the death of a detainee in the Oklahoma County Detention Center or Jail was the ninth for the facility in 2021. April 5, 2021 12:25pm. Another inmate is suing after he was stabbed earlier this year, something the inmate said happened because he was not adequately protected by staff. Blumert said the recent $1.1 million settlement was the largest she can recall since she was elected. I dont know anyone involved that takes that lightly. . First responders transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 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. England, who had been convicted of fourth-degree arson, had about three months remaining on his sentence. Donate to The Frontier to support local independent investigative journalism. 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. After a death, Id call the sheriff and go over what happened. 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. 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. According to the terms of the MOU, the detention center could even be subject to complete federal takeover if standards are not met. Christa Sullivan suffered undisclosed health issues and was under suicide watch when jail staff saw her arm go limp Tuesday night and called medical personnel . The Department of Justice declined to comment or provide basic details on the status of its settlement with Oklahoma County. They moved her into an isolation cell to detox after she got into an altercation with another inmate. Former detention officer Steven Blake Brewer faces two separate charges of misdemeanor assault against prisoners at the jail in connection with incidents before and after the jail trust took control of the facility. 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. Cause and manner of death:The state Medical Examiner determined Hetherington died from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We cant do it without your support. The trust has increased training time for recruits and has also begun providing more time in the jail for officers to see what the job is like. There were 14 deaths at the jail in 2021, according to Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner Keith Reed. Yalartai, who hanged himself,had not been checked in almost 12 hours, officials said. Five inmates have now died at the jail this year, and two . Thorp did not return calls from NonDoc regarding the current status of his investigation. The Oklahoma County Jail saw four deaths in 2020, according to The Frontier, and six in 2019. Ellis was booked into the jail after failing to appear in court on a DUI charge. Slavens was found unconscious and taken to a hospital. He was transported to Alliance Health Midwest hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. 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. Oklahoma County officials have tried for years to secure funding to build a new jail, with no success. The pay is low, about $3,000 a month, and working conditions can be dangerous. Please reload the page and try again. Changes in our intake process also help identify individuals who are in need of medical or mental health care. They said jail and prison administrators should collect data on how quickly their officers respond to health emergencies and identify ways to increase response time. An inmate described as having a chronic health condition died Wednesday night at the Oklahoma County jail, 10 days after his arrest. Cause and manner of death: Suspected death by suicide. Jail transport was told he needed to be taken to a hospital. February 27, 2023 (96 years old) View obituary. Share Jailers reported that German was behaving erratically and suspected she was still under the influence of methamphetamine more than 24 hours after her arrest. Six detention officers at the Oklahoma County jail have been charged with assault and mistreatment of inmates since October. Shane Tuell said. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to the staffing shortages, he said. Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. William Thomas Homerding. Basco told The Frontier in an interview that it was common for him to go three or four days at a time without time to shower, because of a constant lack of staff at the jail, he said. On July 5, jail administrator Greg Williams presented the jail trust with his monthly report. According to District 3 County Commissioner and trust member Kevin Calvey, those conversations are more interesting than what the public sees. Friend Staci Baumann said Lane struggled with depression and used drugs to escape. He definitely didnt deserve what he got.. There's little disagreement about the jail's state. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prater later recused himself from that investigation. mail Jail nurses performed CPR on the man. 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. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? The first death of an Oklahoma County jail inmate this year occurred Wednesday and is under investigation, according to a release from jail administration. The jails funding comes primarily from property taxes the county collects. 'Nique for Calling Herself the First Plus-Size Rom-Com Star. 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. Taylor, who left office in January, said in December that the Department of Justice and county officials met in 2019, when inspectors said they had seen enough improvements at the jail to release the county from the agreement, but wanted to wait until the jail trust took over to ensure progress continued. Many of the charges stem from uses of force against prisoners who left their cells at unauthorized times to shower or use the restroom amid jail staffing shortages. He loved to draw, read and could build or fix anything with his hands, Lanes girlfriend Crystal Oldham said. COVID-19 cases at jail surge. Oklahoma Mugshots http://Arre.st/Mugshots/Oklahoma Somebody will come. And nobody came.. Among those who die in jail by suicide, the median time from booking to death was just nine days, according to the data compiled by Prison Policy Initiative. 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. Reagan was booked into the jail after being indicted on federal charges on Jan. 10, 2020. Detainees that are complying with security protocols are given access to the dayrooms and showers throughout the day as conditions permit that access to be safe for both detainees and staff, Williams said in response to The Frontiers questions about the issue. Brewer declined to comment on the pending charges when contacted by The Frontier. Williams began his remarks by mentioning that there had been three deaths at the jail since they trust last met. Lanes screams started after prisoners received their evening meal trays and there were no detention officers on the floor, Autrey said. Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2023, Listen Frontier: Sen. 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