Oklahoma sheriff, staff resign over jail safety fears

A sheriff in Oklahoma, five of her deputies and several other staff members resigned this week in protest of a judge’s order to reopen a county jail that they had deemed unsafe.

The sheriff, Terry Sue Barnett of Nowata County, said the jail had deteriorated past a point where it could safely house inmates and members of law enforcement. She pointed in particular to a carbon monoxide leak that sent four employees to an emergency room last month and prompted the jail to transfer its inmates to another facility.

“The condition of the jail is such that it does not comply with constitutional standards,” Barnett said at a news conference announcing that she, the five deputies, the county undersheriff, the head dispatcher and the canine ranger were stepping down. The carbon monoxide leak’s cause has not been determined, Barnett said, adding there were other day-to-day safety problems plaguing the jail in Nowata County, which is about 40 miles north of Tulsa, in northeastern Oklahoma.

“The wiring for electricity is exposed in shower areas and throughout the jail, and inmates have been actually shocked while taking a shower,” the sheriff said. “There is mold throughout the jail and offices, exposing both prisoners and employees to hazardous conditions.”

She added: “The plumbing facilities are improper, the sewer lines were not installed properly, and methane gas on occasion permeates the jail.”

Barnett also mentioned an episode in which a snake fell on the head of a prisoner when he opened a door.

“When I was elected I said I would do the right thing,” she said at one point. “I was hopeful to see change in Nowata County, but now I see without support it is only continuing to create a dangerous situation.”