Six inmates have died inside the Oklahoma County Jail since mid-December. The most recent death, Parker Stevens, was found unresponsive in his cell Wednesday.Last month, Brad Lane was allegedly killed by his cellmate. Lane’s girlfriend, Crystal Oldham, said jail shouldn t be a death sentence, especially for someone like Lane, who was in jail for a nonviolent offense. She and his family are now demanding accountability and justice.“No family should go through this. It s rough. It tears everything apart. Everything you had planned. Everything that you thought your future was going to be. It s all gone, Oldham said. For Oldham, it s memories like this she cherishes most. Her boyfriend Lane and her 1 1/2-year-old daughter were bonding as father and daughter. “They just had this connection,” Oldham said.Lane was arrested on stolen vehicle and drug charges. He was allegedly beaten to death by his cellmate at the Oklahoma County Detention Center in January. “He didn t deser
The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority said:
“The exact time the escape began was determined by reviewing evidence gathered during the ongoing investigation. These types of incidents develop rapidly with many moving parts to manage simultaneously. The initial focus is to secure the facility and engage in a headcount of detainees, determine the location and safety of all staff, and accurately assess the situation as a whole. Without taking the time to fully understand the situation, we may inadvertently compromise public safety as well as the safety of our staff and detainees. As soon as the administration was able to verify all details of the situation, the appropriate law enforcement partners were notified immediately, as CEO Williams indicated during the press conference discussing this incident.