Cleveland Co. Commissioners: Jail Death Investigation Stalled By Sheriff

Cleveland County officials are ramping up pressure on Sheriff Chris Amason, calling for his full cooperation in an ongoing investigation into the rising death toll at the Cleveland County Detention Center. 

The county’s independent investigation, conducted by SIMCO Correctional Consulting, is in response to detainee deaths -- 10 since 2021, with five in 2024 alone.

The Board of County Commissioners claims the county’s inquiry has been stalled by the sheriff’s refusal to turn over requested documents. Commissioners stressed that the SIMCO investigation, initiated in September 2024, is critical to understanding the root causes of the deaths and identifying measures to improve safety protocols.

In a statement to News 9’s inquiry, commissioners expressed frustration with the sheriff’s office emphasizing, “Elected officials have a moral and legal obligation to conduct due diligence in improving detainee health outcomes. While commissioners recognize inmate populations tend to be at a higher risk than the average population, they find any preventable loss of life intolerable.” If the sheriff continues to withhold investigative materials, the commissioners signaled that they would consider issuing subpoenas under Oklahoma law. As of Tuesday, six weeks into the investigation, SIMCO had not received any requested information from the sheriff’s office, according to the board. It remains unclear if the investigator had been able to review any of the jail’s safety protocols.

The call for cooperation comes amid rising tensions between the sheriff and the county officials, who are also locked in a budget dispute. Sheriff Amason has accused the county’s budget board of underfunding his office as a “political maneuver” and has vowed to continue serving the residents who elected him.

The urgency in developing actionable recommendations to prevent future deaths escalated amid a series of deaths in 2024 -- and was spotlighted again in the Oct. 3 death of Alex Jermaine Wright despite an ongoing investigation into jail operations. Wright, the 10th inmate death under Sheriff Amason’s administration, died less than 24 hours after an anonymous complaint was filed with the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). The complaint submitted on October 2 warned of dangerously low staffing levels and raised questions about whether routine safety checks were being performed.

 According to the complaint, only five officers were responsible for overseeing more than 500 inmates. “They are missing sight checks, and as a citizen, I don’t want Sheriff Amason killing more people in custody,” the complainant wrote. The complaint further requested an audit of the detention center’s procedures to ensure that staff performed sight checks every hour and every 15 minutes for suicidal inmates.

The sheriff’s office maintains that all scheduled checks were conducted. Wright was not discovered until the final round on the morning of October 3. His death is currently under investigation with assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). The OSBI is assisting with seven other suspicious deaths at the jail. 

The October 2 complaint is the latest in a string of grievances filed against the Cleveland County Detention Center, which has faced growing scrutiny over its management under Sheriff Amason. One complaint filed with OSDH in the Summer 2024 claimed that the facility was failing to meet federal safety standards, writing, “It would be ideal if the facility was in the hands of people who are capable of doing their jobs in accordance with the expectations of homeland security; and compliant with federal regulations and minimum standards.” Other complaints highlighted cleanliness concerns, delays in medications and care, and inmate abuse.

Embroiled in a budget dispute with county commissioners and currently under a state investigative audit, the sheriff has blamed chronic underfunding for the staffing shortages and other operational challenges at the jail. He has also accused commissioners of trying to undermine his administration during an already difficult financial period.

The commissioners, however, have sharply criticized Amason’s financial management, with some suggesting that his mishandling of the budget is a “crime” in itself. The board has publicly denounced his mismanagement of tax dollars since earlier this year, adding that inmate deaths are intolerable and the sheriff’s refusal to cooperate only worsens the situation.

Sheriff Amason released a formal statement in response stating, “The Sheriff’s Office has collected all relevant documents and will be providing them to the District Attorney’s Office for appropriate dissemination. Given that some of these documents are part of ongoing litigation, we are handling them with the necessary legal precautions.”

Both parties are awaiting the findings of the state audit and SIMCO’s review.

The full press release can be read below: