OKLAHOMA CITY – Tensions between the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) reached a boiling point Friday when Sheriff Tommie Johnson III filed a lawsuit against the BOCC and the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (OCCJA, known as the Jail Trust), asserting that he and his office are not responsible for the transportation of detainees to and from the county jail.
And all the parties involved have already tightened their lips and ceased speaking about the issue publicly.
It’s just the latest development in the long-running drama surrounding jail operations:
Since taking effect in 2020, the Jail Trust has overseen the jail under their founding and guiding document, the Trust Indenture, a contract between the OK County Board of Commissioners and the OK County Sheriff, giving responsibility for the jail to the trust, but with the sheriff retaining certain responsibilities.
The extent of those responsibilities is what’s currently in dispute.
Who’s responsible for detainee transport?
Detainees at the County Detention Center see frequent transportation to and from the jail, being driven under armed security to court hearings, medical treatment, and more, and those duties have so far been handled by deputies with the County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Johnson is now asking the court to find that he is not actually responsible for detainee transportation, citing the Jail Trust Indenture as evidence that the OCCJA assumed that responsibility with all others when the Indenture was created.
The battle came to a head first on May 11th when Johnson ordered the transportation services halted and more than 70 detainees missed their scheduled court hearings, including one that was expected to be released from jail.
The Sheriff’s Office is hoping that the court will uphold their understanding of the Trust Indenture, believing it absolves the office from handling transportation, but that understanding has already been fiercely disputed.
Behenna weighs in
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna has been public and clear in her disagreement with the Sheriff’s understanding of the Jail Trust, and is expecting the court to find that the Sheriff is responsible for transporting detainees.
Behenna’s office released a statement on May 12th expressing frustration over the previous day’s fumbles and placing the responsibility for detainee transport squarely on the Sheriff’s Office.
“It is clear from the Trust Indenture,” Behenna’s statement reads, “that transportation of jail inmates to and from the courthouse, and supervision of inmates while in the courthouse, were intentionally left to the Oklahoma County Sheriff.”
Johnson already ordered to continue transport duties
Following the chaos and disruption of May 11th, Judge Sheila Stinson ordered the Sheriff to continue transportation, effective immediately, but Johnson quickly claimed that the order left the door open on the question of legal responsibility.
“Judge Stinson issued the order to resume, but clearly did not weigh into the legality of whose responsibility it is,” Johnson said in a prepared statement released to press. “She said it is a question for the appellate court.”
Now just a month later, the sheriff is bringing his own lawsuit forward.
With the issue now in litigation, officials are reluctant to offer any comment.
Calls from Free Press to Behenna and District 2 County Commissioner Brian Maughan were not returned and requests for comment or insight received no response.
Sheriff Johnson’s office was reached but declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
A look at the lawsuit
The Sheriff’s lawsuit is twofold:
First, it requests the court find that the Jail Trust is contractually bound to transport detainees to and from the Oklahoma County Courthouse, the County Jail, and related services such as mental health clinics. If the Court finds in favor of the Sheriff’s Office, then the County will be responsible for any and all transportation of detainees, which includes security and transportation staffing positions being created by the County.
Secondly, the Sheriff is asking the court to find that the funds for litigation come from the budget of the Sheriff’s Office rather than from his personal funds. The Sheriff’s Office made this second appeal two times in two separate appearances before the BOCC in May of 2026. Each time, the BOCC denied that request.
Johnson currently remains a member of the Jail Trust, and the Sheriff’s Office is continuing to handle detainee transport during litigation.
This is a developing story. Free Press will provide more information as it becomes available.
Tyler Smothers is a local, an Okie, and a poet living in Oklahoma City with his wife, Sadye, and their animals, Toby and Oscar.
He teaches medieval history and literature to 7th graders and loves everything from "Canterbury Tales" to "Mrs. Dalloway."
