Former county jailer charged after incident with detainee
A former sergeant at the Oklahoma County jail is facing a misdemeanor assault and battery charge after being accused of pushing a detainee’s head into a wall multiple times.
Ryan Tilbury, 25, of Oklahoma City, was charged Wednesday. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 90 days inside the place where he worked and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $1,000.
Tilbury was part of a response team called to a pod inside the jail on Feb. 8 when a colleague radioed a detainee was refusing to reenter his cell for a lockdown, according to a court affidavit.
After he and two other jailers responded, Tilbury reportedly doused the detainee with pepper spray to help get him under control.
That isn’t what prompted the criminal charge, however.
The detainee was handcuffed and taken by Tilbury and another guard to the jail’s medical clinic.
As they entered a clinic hallway, according to the affidavit, Tilbury forcibly slammed the detainee’s head into a wall three times, leaving the victim with a cut above his right eyebrow.
The detainee, awaiting trial at the time on a charge of making a bomb threat, was not charged over the incident with Tilbury.
The charge against Tilbury was filed in Oklahoma County District Court.
It specifically accuses Tilbury of striking the detainee’s head into a glass window “with force and violence with the unlawful intent to do him corporal hurt and bodily injury.”
A release issued by the county’s jail trust states it immediately placed Tilbury on administrative leave while it investigated the incident.
Tilbury was hired Jan. 4, 2021, after successfully completing a background check. His employment was terminated Feb. 23. An attempt to reach him by phone was unsuccessful.
“We will hold our employees to the highest standard when it comes to the treatment of residents,” said Brandi Garner, the jail’s CEO.
“When an employee breaks the law, we will hold them accountable for their actions. This type of treatment is not and will not be tolerated by me or other members of my staff.”