Last Updated on February 20, 2024, 3:13 PM | Published: February 20, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sue Ann Arnall, the last remaining founding member of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust, has resigned in protest of conditions in the jail and how Oklahoma County money has been spent.
Oklahoma County Commissioners voted in May 2019 to form the Jail Trust, its official name being the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority.
Except for Arnall, the embattled trust has seen a rotation of members and even the resignation of several chairs plus the resignation of its first CEO and administrator of the Jail that the Trust had hired.
Current members of the Jail Trust are:
- Joe M. Allbaugh – Chairman
- Steven Buck – Vice-Chair
- Myles Davidson – Trustee
- Derrick Scobey – Trustee
- Sheriff Tommie Johnson III – Trustee
- Chad Alexander – Trustee
- Sue Ann Arnall – Trustee – resigned
- James Johnson – Trustee
- Rochelle Gray – Trustee
Resignation letter
Arnall’s resignation letter was longer than most resignation letters the trust has received.
In it, Arnall gave several reasons for her resignation which centered on the Oklahoma County Budget Board’s decisions that resulted in what she believes to be inadequate funding for the jail which has resulted in “a critical impasse.”
“My pleas to the county to adequately fund the jail have fallen on deaf ears for too long, ….”
Sue Ann Arnall’s resignation letter to the OK County Jail Trust
The last paragraph of the letter drove her point home.
“My pleas to the county to adequately fund the jail have fallen on deaf ears for too long,” wrote Arnall. “Despite carrying the highest cost and the highest liability risk of any other county responsibility, the jail trust does not have a voice on the county budget board.”
“Because of this, the jail trust receives what is left over after all other budget board members take care of their own department needs and pet projects first.”
“I have little hope that adequate funds will be provided in the future,” concluded Arnall. “Because of this, I am unable to do the job for which I was appointed.”
Other points Arnall made in the letter were:
- County officials are prioritizing other aspects of county government over the jail.
- The Jail is operating with “only half of the minimum number of staff recommended by the National Institute of Corrections.”
- The starting salary for a detention officer at the jail is “approximately less than 75% of the starting pay of county law enforcement officers with the same qualifications.”
- The booking area configuration “creates an unsafe environment and is extremely inefficient.” There are about 70 people per day booked into the jail.
- After asking for $1.5 million to remodel and reconfigure the booking area, “…the County Budget Board has deemed a $17.5 million remodel of the Sheriff’s offices more important.”
- “Funds should be reallocated to allow the County to focus on its legislatively mandated responsibilities at the jail.”
Current members of the Oklahoma County Budget Board are:
- Brian Maughan – Chairman
- Forrest “Butch” Freeman – Vice-Chairman
- Myles Davidson – Member
- Carrie Blumert – Member
- Rick Warren – Member
- Larry Stein – Member
- Tommie Johnson III – Member
- Maressa Treat – Member
Formation
The Jail Trust was created by the Board of Oklahoma County Commissioners in May 2019 in a unanimous vote.
Kevin Calvey who pushed the idea the hardest and Commissioner Brian Maughan were the most enthusiastic about taking the Oklahoma County Jail out of the hands of the Oklahoma County Sheriff and giving the Jail Trust control of the Jail. But, Commissioner Carrie Blumert also voted in favor. There are three commissioners for Oklahoma County.
To learn more about the discussion at the time: Oklahoma County Commissioners establish jail trust in unanimous vote
Struggling to form an administration
During the summer of 2019 the Jail Trust moved at a slow pace in setting up its operations. A jail administrator position separate from the Oklahoma County Sheriff to run the Jail was not decided upon until late August 2019.
To learn more: Jail Trust votes to establish Okla County Jail administrator position
After several conflicts over the status of ICE officers in the Jail regularly and conflicts with then Sheriff P.D. Taylor. The Sheriff has a standing seat on the Jail Trust. After another month went by Taylor set a deadline on the Trust of January 1 to take over the Jail citing uncertainty of the Trust as the reason he was starting to lose good staff at the Jail.
To learn more: Sheriff — “take the jail,” Jail Trust Chair — “we don’t want to do this wrong”
Eventually, Taylor agreed to run the Jail until April 15 which gave the jail 11 months to take over from its founding. “Surely to God, you [Jail Trust] can take over and move forward in 11 months. If you cannot, then I question if you can ever,” said Taylor at the time.
As the Trust continued to secure money and make arrangements, the months added up. It wasn’t until early January 2020 that the Trust hired an administrator, Greg Williams, naming him the “CEO.” He officed at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce because the Sheriff was still expected to run the jail while Williams was making preparations.
By early March 2020 and with the April 15 deadline looming, the Trust continued to make preparations for the takeover but didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry.
Handoff
To learn more: Jail Trust preps for Okla County Jail handoff but with little sense of urgency
Sheriff Taylor agreed to continue to run the Jail past the April 15 deadline as the Trust continued to try and find a way forward administratively. Eventually, an actual handoff was planned and happened at the end of June after the Trust signed a historic lease agreement with County Commissioners.
As the Jail Trust took over the presence of ICE officers in the Oklahoma County Jail and County Commissioners using CARES Act funds for the Jail drew heavy criticism and disruptive protests throughout the remainder of the summer and into the fall of 2020.
Eventually, the Trust received CARES Act funds to make upgrades to the Jail under the auspices of improving the health of the environment of the detainees.
To learn more: Jail Trust faces more protests while accepting CARES money
Public comment, procedure dog Trust
As the new year, 2021 arrived the Trust was still struggling with the public over procedure and public comments as deaths in the Jail continued to add up.
To learn more: Jail Trust ignores recent jail deaths — still at odds over public comment
Finally, by March, a new subcommittee was formed: the Detention Center Action Committee which has been moving at a much faster pace to find solutions to present to the Trust.
Hostage situation, detainee death
A major setback for the reputation of the Trust and Administrator Greg Williams was a hostage situation that developed at the end of March resulting in the death of a detainee who was shot by two Oklahoma City Police Officers who were a part of the team with Sherriff’s deputies to rescue the hostage, a detention officer. The officer was injured but survived.
To learn more: Hostage situation at Oklahoma County Jail results in one death
Resignation of first jail CEO
And, in 2022, several members of the trust hinted that they would vote to fire their first administrator, Greg Williams, who had been hired to run the jail instead of the county sheriff.
He was under fire from the public for the continued string of deaths and poor conditions in the jail.
Williams resigned in December 2022.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
