OKLAHOMA CITY — A detention officer with the Oklahoma County Detention Center (Jail/OCDC) has been booked for assault and battery of a detainee and fired.
The officer was booked Tuesday on the criminal misdemeanor complaint. He was released on a $1,000 bond according to a press release midday Thursday from OCDC PIO Mark Opgrande.
OCDC Criminal Investigation Division investigators accuse Detention Officer James Moten, 30, of using “excess force while escorting a handcuffed detainee to the men’s holding area.”
That detainee is named in the document as Jimmy Raney.
The detainee had engaged in a fight with Moten and was then handcuffed by Moten and another officer. After handcuffing Raney, Moten is accused of pulling the detainee’s arm “causing him to fall to the ground.”
According to the arrest affidavit, it was then that “James Moten proceeds to place his knee on Jimmy Raney’s stomach and move to a position where he was straddling him with his legs just above Jimmy Raney’s hips.”
“Jimmy Raney proceeded to wrap his legs around James Moten’s left ankle and locked his ankles together to squeeze James Moten’s ankle,” read the affidavit. “
The affidavit continues: “James Moten began hitting Jimmy Raney with his elbow and fist in the back of Jimmy Raney’s head and shoulder while he was still in handcuffs. James Moten delivered a total of four strikes to the back of Jimmy Raney’s head and shoulder causing Jimmy Raney’s face to hit the ground multiple times.”
The affidavit also says that Moten dragged the detainee out of the men’s holding area by his arm and then bent his wrist back toward his forearm while they were putting the detainee in a wheelchair even though the detainee was not resisting.
In addition to the criminal charge, Moten has been fired.
The jail administrator made a statement about the incident Thursday:
“The actions of this officer are deeply disappointing and entirely unacceptable. Every officer who completes our training academy is thoroughly educated on the policies and procedures designed to protect the rights and well-being of those in our care,” said Brandi Garner, CEO of the Oklahoma County Detention Center. “This includes rigorous instruction on use-of-force policies and de-escalation tactics. Violating these principles is a breach of trust, not only with the detainees but also with our community and colleagues. This incident is not reflective of the values of our organization or the dedication of the vast majority of our officers, who serve honorably every day.”
Moten started with the OCDC on April 1.
The case now goes to the Oklahoma County DA for prosecution.
Under the law, all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty before a jury of their peers or a plea of guilt.
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