Enid Police Arrest More Suspects In Abuse Investigation At Treatment Facility

Enid Police have arrested more suspects accused of abusing patients at a treatment facility for adults with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses.

Officers arrested 21-year-old Adlai Flores, police told News 9. In addition, 26-year-old Gavin Foster turned himself in. Jonathan Orozco, 28, who was previously wanted, also turned himself in, police said.

Prior to the latest arrests, officers had already taken 21-year-old Jonathan Martinez and 24-year-old Jhon Nieto into custody.

Police said on Monday they were still looking for a sixth suspect, Edward Webster.

The suspects were caregivers and employees at the Robert M. Greer Center in Enid. According to affidavits, some of the suspects used a bedsheet to choke a client who had the mental capacity of a 4-year-old. Once he became unconscious, the suspects beat him until he regained consciousness, the court documents said. A witness told investigators the abuse happened to the victim 40 times, the affidavits stated.

New affidavits obtained by News 9 on Monday detailed even more alleged abuse of another victim. According to the documents, a witness told police the suspects used food from outside the facility to bribe one of the center's patients into beating another patient "on a regular basis." The witness said the suspects targeted that patient because that patient "cuss(ed) them out."

That patient also told police the suspects assaulted him, including punching and kicking him in the abdomen area, hitting him in the face, and choking him, according to the affidavits.

Photos that police provided to News 9 showed deep bruising on large portions of the victims' torsos.

In light of the abuse allegations against former caregivers at the Greer Center, the Oklahoma Disability Law Center (ODLC), a protection and advocacy agency, has launched an investigation.

"The focus of our investigation will, first of all, be to review records," said Joy Turner, director of investigation and monitoring at ODLC. "I want to see what was in place or should have been in place that were not in place. So perhaps, they had policies and procedures that weren't being implemented, staffing levels that weren't being implemented, or perhaps there should have been certain policies in place that never were put into place that could have prevented this."

ODLC said it also plans to contact all the agencies involved, as well as current and former clients of the facility. In addition, ODLC plans to visit the Greer Center and interview people with information on the allegations.

"I can't even comprehend what would make another person do that, especially to the extremely vulnerable population that they serve," said Turner.

ODLC said it expects its investigation to take several months to complete and plans to work with Oklahoma Human Services to implement changes to prevent future abuse.

Oklahoma Human Services, which holds the license for the Greer Center, sent News 9 the following statement on Monday:

"There is nothing more important to Oklahoma Human Services than the health, safety and wellbeing of the clients we serve. The shocking incidents that occurred at the Greer Center are unacceptable and unconscionable. We are examining every process, policy and statute and taking every action within our power to prevent this from happening again, and to ensure victims and their families are informed and protected. The agency is deploying trauma-informed resources to assist residents and families. We are committed to working with legislators, law enforcement, the community and any entity legally authorized to investigate these allegations against those who seek to harm vulnerable adults."

Liberty Healthcare, which operates the facility on behalf of the state, sent News 9 the following statement on Thursday.

“We are deeply disturbed by the reports of abuse and consider such behavior to be wholly inappropriate and unacceptable. In our 23-year history of managing this facility, we have never encountered a similar situation. We will fully cooperate and support local and state officials as they investigate this matter.” 

News 9 also went to the Greer Center on Thursday to ask for comment, but the door was locked and the staff would not answer.