Injustice in Stephens County Oklahoma
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Lets get started on what's up with this county jail. Lets start with their diets, there is little to no food for the inmates and with such a small monthly budget each inmate has less than a dollar a day to eat on. The food they are given is causing health problems.
Next we will address medication. Inmates who are on medication are not being given their meds. This causes extreme health issues. When they or their families complain the inmates are threatened with and or put on the ROCK.
The ROCK is a small dark cemented room where they are stripped and handcuffed to the ground. There is a small hole in the ground that they can wiggle around to pee in. Often times they are forgotten in there and don't get fed.
Kelly Warren gets put in there when his seizures get bad. Unfortunately being left to have seizures on a cement floor has given him several broken bones and a ruptured ear, all of which have been left untreated. He has lost all hearing in that ear now.
Last month Ryan Wilcox was brought into the jail with an untreated gun shot wound. I found out about him 2 weeks ago from my son. Mr. Wilcox's arm where he was shot 'is green and smelled weird'. I knew this meant gangrene. I called the State Health Department and Mr. Wilcox was released within 8 hours of my call. They stated that "this man is a health hazard". The problem is I can't track down the Wilcox family. I called all hospitals in the area and I can't find him. I hope he didn't die in some motel room alone somewhere. If he died it would be Stephens County's fault. If they had just taken him to the hospital when he was arrested it wouldn't have come to this.
Robert Day (580-255-0298) Mr. Day was in a car accident, yes he was stoned, which was definitely a mitigating factor in the accident. Mr. Day was arrested at the wreck scene and taken directly to jail, not to the hospital.
Upon arrival at the jail he was throw on the ROCK (still no medical treatment). After being on the rock for about 6 days he was taken out and thrown into a cell with Bobby Newsom
(mom 580-252-6286). Mr. Newsom was ordered to clean up Mr Day, who was covered in blood. Mr. Newson states that Day looked like he was put through a meat grinder. Nearly a week after Newsom was made to clean up Day, it was found out that Day had Aids. Also after Day was sent to D.O.C. - nearly 4 months later - it was discovered that Day had a broken back from the afore mentioned accident. Yet another case that could have been prevented.
An older gentleman - name unknown at this time - had a heart attack last week. The other inmates screamed for help but the jailers refused to help: They said they didn't have the mouth piece to perform CPR and ordered the inmates to do CPR themselves. Thankfully an inmate knew how to do this. The man is OK as of today. .PRISONER X - broken hand much like my son to explain later. (still untreated)
PRISONER Y - High blood pressure and kidney infection, meds being denied.
Staff infection guy - untreated and bandages he came in with are still on covered with goo.
PRISONER Z - Heart condition and guess what, meds being denied
Kelly Warren (case #CF-04-09) - in a Native American who suffers from Meneires disease. Refused medication and when he complained he got 16 days on the ROCK.
(Wife, Kristie Warren - Phone 580-439-8996)
Kevin Sandefur (my son) - broken hand and broken foot. Jailers fault because they get a kick out closing the doors on the inmates ( jail house humor).
(Mother Twilla Knight - Email tknight3@sbcglobal.net)I complained several times and they told my son if he or I complained again Kevin would spend the remainder of his time in there on the Rock. Kevin needs medication for Pancreas and Anxiety attacks and yes you guessed it - DENIED!!!!!
PRISONER A age 20 came into the Stephens County Jail Thursday for public intox. They now believe that he was actually sick when he was arrested. He spent the next two and a half days on the ROCK, denied food and water the entire time. Through out that time he screamed for help that he was sick and hot. He screamed for water over and over again. The inmates next door to him listened to this guy screaming. They begged Jailer Ray Young to please help this guy and his response was to close all their bean holes.On Saturday around noon Jailer Murry checked on PRISONER A and found him barely conscious and barely breathing. The ambulance was called and PRISONER A was transported to the Duncan Regional Hospital where he was then medi-vacted to Oklahoma City Baptist Hospital - he is not expected to survive. Duncan Hospital did state that PRISONER A was severely dehydrated and his stomach was empty of anything but paint. It is believed that he started eating the paint on the walls. Why we are not sure except hunger. But his mother said that there was paint in his teeth also. How delusional and hungry he must have been to eat paint chips from the walls of The ROCK.
PRISONER B came into the County Jail over a month ago for a DUS and in the time he was in there they denied him the meds he needed to treat his leg. He is now at the Duncan Regional Hospital and he will soon be transferred to OKC where he will have his leg removed. I have pictures of his leg and permission to use them. He never gave me his statement as his house was burned down and he is now terrified and refuses to talk to me anymore. But be aware I do still have pictures.
The Jail stays in a constant state of 2 inches of water on the ground and this keeps mold on the walls. When it gets to bad the inmates are made to paint over it. Everyone in the Jail is sick and I have to wonder if the mold is causing this. I have been researching Black Mold. The symptoms of the inmates are classic for toxic mold exposure.
Today we went to the FBI. Again. When we got home, Kristie Warren (580)-439-8996 who was with us and who's husband is the guy in the jail who has the seizures (Kelly Warren), was contacted by her husband today and he is scared stating that the Under Sheriff Bob Hill had told him that if his wife did not stop making trouble she would DISAPPEAR. Mr. Warren told his wife that Bob Hill was also asking him for information on his wife's schedule and which roads did she take as such other questions.
We are trying to get ourselves an attorney to help protect our guys but the cheapest one wants $25,000. What are we to do. If we can't get a lawyer, are we sitting ducks? Or are they just going to kill our guys? Where do you go for help when the cops are the bad guys??????????Also I must add that I have gone to the sheriff and others asking them to fix these problems. I HAVE NEVER ASKED THEM TO OPEN THE DOORS FOR MY SON - ONLY TO TAKE PROPER CARE OF HIM, TO KEEP HIM SAFE, TO FEED HIM, AND TO GET HIM MEDICAL TREATMENT AND THAT'S ALL I'VE EVER ASKED!.
I hope... no, I pray that you can help us.
Thank you so much
Twilla Knight
tknight3@sbcglobal.net
From: TWILLA KNIGHT [mailto:tknight3@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 1:29 PM
To: Jari Askins
Subject: My childDear Mrs. Askins,
My name is Twilla Knight. I live here in Duncan.
I have a 19 year old son in the Stevens County Jail. Since he has been there he has been taken the hospital twice for broken bones. There is also a concern with their diet, the inmates are denied any dairy products and since there are no windows in the jail these people are getting no calcium or vitamin D. Many of these people are losing their finger and toenails. Thankfully the pregnant inmates are allowed to have family members bring milk and juice to them.
Please look into this terrible situation. I am one of many families who have banned together to fight this grave injustice. Yes, these men are inmates but they are also humans. This is my child no matter what. What would you do for your child who hurt and starved.
My voice is loud and many. This situation must be addressed and soon.
Twilla Knight
2003 W Pine St
Duncan, OK
580-470-8073
tknight3@sbcglobal.net
From: Jari Askins Askinsja@lsb.state.ok.usTo: TWILLA KNIGHTSent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 11:50 AMSubject: RE: My childDear Ms. Knight,
Several have expressed concerns similar to yours. I hope you have included the County Commissioners and the District Attorney on your list of people to receive your information. They need to know specifics.
Sincerely,
Jari Askins
