OKLAHOMA CITY — An employee in operations at the Oklahoma County Detention Center was arrested, booked, and fired Monday afternoon connected to the detainee death that occurred there on Friday.
Debbie Binkley was arrested and booked by the OCDC Criminal Investigation Division for “Public Official Neglecting Duty” Monday afternoon at 3:47 p.m., according to the booking information in the jail’s system.
Mark Opgrand with the OCDC told Free Press that they had presented information to the DA’s office that Binkley had engaged in “willfull neglect” to perform her duty.
However, the DA’s office had not yet filed formal charges against Binkley as of around 5:00 p.m., said Opgrande.
According to a press release sent by the OCDC Monday afternoon, the following events are cited as reasons for booking the employee in the homicide death of the detainee who was being assaulted by his cellmate:
- “Evidence revealed that during the altercation between two inmates that led to the homicide,
- a third inmate in a nearby cell made four separate phone calls to the camera operations center, urgently reporting sounds of an assault.
- Binkley answered only two of those calls and, on both occasions, failed to notify security staff or supervisors to respond and intervene.
- As a result, twenty minutes elapsed after the final call before the assaulted inmate was discovered during a routine sight check by another officer.”
Binkley was hired in September of 2023 according to the press release. Her employment has been terminated.
“Negligence that jeopardizes the safety of individuals in our custody will not be tolerated,” said Paul Timmons, Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority. “Our commitment to maintaining the security and welfare of all inmates and staff requires that every employee uphold the highest standards of professionalism. When they do not, they will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”
The investigation continues into the events leading to the death of the detainee.
Note: As of publication, the information provided by the Oklahoma County Detention Center has not yet been tested in court. Under the law, all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty before a jury of their peers or a plea of guilt.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
