The fight, which lasted all of two minutes, claimed four lives and was the deadliest incident in the history of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. STILLWATER All charges over the deadliest prison fight in Oklahoma history have been dismissed because the evidence turned out to be insufficient. The City of Cushing and CoreCivic, the owner of Cimarron Correctional Facility, announced Tuesday that they had entered into a detention services agreement with the U.S. Still pending is a lawsuit, over two of the deaths, filed against the Tennessee-based company that runs the private prison and others across the country. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The report says the groups began fighting with and without weapons. You can opt-out at any time. Please visit your state government website to learn more about the level of care provided by Adult Residential (s) in CA. All injuries were non-life threatening, and two inmates have already been taken back to the correctional facility. The deadly fight was highly predictable, according to the lawsuit, and could have been prevented if not for minimal staff behavior and corruption, that left gangs to run the place. 3200 South Kings Highway, Cushing, OK 74023 Get Directions to this Facility Phone: 918-225-3336 Fax: 918-225-3363 Download Visitation & Contact Instructions All rights reserved. Authorities said at the time that the riot started when a dispute between two rival prison gangs became violent. The Cimarron Correctional Facility has had several violent incidents over the past several years, including a unit-wide riot in 2013 and at least two riots in 2015. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Tiffees family notes CCAs voluminous income, which the company says provides Oklahomans with the highest standards of quality. Taxpayers in the state paid the company nearly $2.3 million a month in 2015 to CCA to run prisons there, and they have what Bryan says is the deadliest incident in the states prison history to show for it. But proper medical care need not exist for a company like CCA to thrive, which is part of the reason that the Justice Department announced in August it would phase out the use of private companies to run federal prisons. Enter https://www.corrections1.com/ and click OK. Thats a scary prison, Thomas said. However, the report shows sevenhomemade prison weapons were collected as evidenceanda total of 21 weapons were recovered from the Charlie North Housing Unit. InmatesChristopherTignor,MichaelMayden, Kyle Tiffee, and AnthonyFulwilderwere killed. Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, a prisoner at the facility did not comply with orders, according to an Oklahoma Department of Corrections media release, and a correctional officer deployed pepper spray. All injuries were non-life threatening, and two inmates have already been taken back to the correctional facility. We promise to never spam you. The preliminary hearing was devoid of testimony my client did anything to anyone, Gage successfully argued. You can opt-out at any time. From 2012 to 2016, a third of all homicides committed in Oklahoma prisons occurred in the two state-contracted CoreCivic facilities, though they held only a little more than 10 percent of the states prisoners, according to data from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The DA said last year murder charges could not be filed because no inmates were willing to testify to anything. Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox! A judge on April 18 dismissed the first riot case, against burglar Phillip Wayne Jordan Jr., 34, because of insufficient evidence. Officials have not released the names of the inmates involved. CUSHING, Okla. The estate of a state inmate who was killed during a prison melee has filed a lawsuit against the privately-run prison's management company and an unidentified inmate. The Cimarron Correctional Facility is a private facility and not a part of the state department of corrections. 6/10/2015 Related Story: Injuries Reported Following Riot At Cimarron Correctional Facility Eventually Lockett and a nurse entered the fray to attend to a badly wounded inmate. The facility, which is operated by the Corrections Corporation of America, houses 1,720 medium- and maximum-security male inmates. Court records showCorecivicis facing civil lawsuits as a result of the riot. We are delighted that you'd like to resume your subscription. Courtesy. However, the current DOCspokesperson Mark Myers said the DOC made recommendations for improvements and they were implemented by theCoreCivic. Lexipol. last month with participating in a riot a felony that carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Following the Cimarron Correctional Facility riot, six inmates were charged with first-degree murder. But theres just one problem: CCA is not registered with the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, and therefore is not technically a law enforcement agency. That doesn't comfort Lippert's step-grandmother, Clohie Wilson, who would like nonviolent offenders like her grandson segregated from violent criminals. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas. All rights reserved. The quality of the video was poor, and the attack began right as the camera was panning away from where the fight started, she said. In her motions to dismiss, the DA said, At the time of the filing of the charges, the investigative report confirmed each defendant could be identified as a participant in the riot by employees of the correctional facility. Injuries Reported Following Riot At Cimarron Correctional Facility. Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Thomas said there had been a riot prior to the September 2015 riot that was not reported to her office, and that she later met with Department of Corrections and private prison officials to inquire why. Each of the riot cases stand on the same evidence as the other, the DA added in asking that all the cases be dismissed due to insufficient evidence. CCA did not respond to a request for comment. After the case against Jordan was dismissed by the judge, District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas dropped the charges against the other six convicts, Gage Broom, 26; Korey L. Kruta, 29; James Augustine Placker, 30; Jordan James Scott, 26; Steven Ray Thompson, 32; and Johnathan Richard Whittington, 28. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. All rights reserved. The lawsuit names Terrance Lockett as the guard who stood idly by, but Lockette disagrees with the description. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. So It Redesigned Its Iconic Can. You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. Courtesy NewsOn6 Two months after the deadliest prison riot in Oklahoma history, the company in charge of that facility received a nearly $100,000 check from a state program designed to reward job creation. A total of 12 inmates were transported offsite to an area hospital for treatment. The CCF is a medium and maximum security facility. Prosecutors last year filed riot charges against seven felons who were at the Cimarron Correctional Facility that day. There was no testimony what they saw this defendant do except stand at a stairwell., The riot was investigated by Oklahoma Department of Corrections Agent Robert L. Hert III, who wrote in an affidavit filed on April 19, 2017, on Sept. 12, 2015, a fight occurred on Unit C-North between inmates validated as or associated with security threat groups, Irish Mob and Universal Aryan Brotherhood.. The cell phone video, obtained by KWTV, shows a prisoner being picked up by other inmates and thrown from the second floor of the facility. The evidence is terrible. Charges Dismissed in Fatal Cushing Prison Riot, Driver In Fatal Crash West Of Stillwater Due In Court, Former Cushing Man Accused Of Possessing Meth With Intent To Distribute, Payne County Health Department (Cushing) to Provide Curbside COVID-19 Testing, Cushing Ex-convict Charged With Possessing Stolen Vehicle. The DA also disclosed that a critical witness, a guard, had been charged with bringing contraband into the prison. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The cell phone video, obtained by KWTV, shows a prisoner being picked up by other inmates and thrown from the second floor of the facility. (, David McDaniel / THE OKLAHOMAN via AP File. There was no testimony as to who was in the video, Gage argued, adding that a still shot was offered into evidence without proper authority. At the time of the September 2015 riot, department officials told media that the incident was not considered a riot, though Oklahoma law. That incident left four prisoners dead, according to court records filed in both criminal and civil cases after the incident. "I'm literally devastated,"saidFulwilder'sfianc, Kathy Barber, after learning of his death in 2015. The September 12, 2015, fight at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing is considered one of the deadliest prison clashes in Oklahoma history. The facility's management company, Tennessee-based Corrections Corp. of America, hasn't confirmed a motive for the stabbings. The key evidence in all the cases was a low-quality video surveillance recording. Cimarron Correctional Facility has a history of violent incidents that occurred both before and after the Sept. 12, 2015, riot, and some of the facility's staff have faced criminal charges for separate alleged criminal acts, ranging from bringing in contraband to sex acts with prisoners. All rights reserved. There has not been any official word on the total number of injuries or the severity. Recordsalso indicate the Payne County District Attorney charged seven inmates in connection to the riot. If you want to connect with kin or friend held at Cimarron Correctional Facility, you need to follow the procedures below: News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, Share, The Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. According to news reports, 3 inmates were assaulted by others at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. Cimarron Correctional Facility Crowley County Correctional Facility F Federal Correctional Institution, Talladega United States Penitentiary, Florence High H 1974 Huntsville Prison siege L Lee Correctional Prison Riot M Marana Community Correctional Treatment Facility Montana State Prison N New Castle Correctional Facility In previous years, media reports have indicated the company has failed to submit incident reports to the department in a timely manner. On September 12, 2015, the prisonersat Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushingbegan to band together for what would be called one of thedeadliestprison fights in state history. Three months later, in February, Lockett was pulled aside after a guard performing pat-downs of employees entering Cimarron found two bulges in Locketts crotch. Video surveillance shows Irish Mob members gathering on the second floor of Charlie North before walking downstairs and starting the fight with members of the United Aryan Brotherhood, she said. For general custody related questions and help with inmate location, call: (213) 473-6100 For Healthcare Concerns which require immediate assistance, please call the medical command center at: (213) 893-5544 All seven were identified as being with the Irish Mob, a whites-only prison gang. Seven individuals allegedly involved in the fight were charged last month with participating in a riot a felony that carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Three inmates died just before 5 p.m. at the Cimarron Correctional Facility, operated by the Corrections Corporation of America, and a fourth offender later succumbed to wounds suffered during the attack. Cimarron Correctional Facility. From Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD, multiple EMSA vehicles were parked in front of the vehicle. "The riot statute in this state states that when a death occurs during a riot, the participants in the riot can be punished in the same manner as the principal defendant in the case, Hudson said. As the state was preparing motions to dismiss due to current insufficient evidence to pass beyond a reasonable doubt standard of proof, the case against Jordan was before Judge Kistler, who sustained a motion to quash as to the defendant in that companion case, based in part on the lack of positive identification of each defendant and lack of ability of witnesses to identify with any certainty what actions each defendant took. Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox! "I miss him horribly.". Sep 8, 2016. "Yesterday's inmate-on-inmate altercation lasted less than two minutes with staff responding very quickly to quell the disturbance," the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement Sunday. (Stillwater, Okla.) - Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas filed charges on Monday against seven convicts accused of participating in a riot at the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing on Sept. 12, 2015, in which four inmates died from stab wounds. Please refer to our. CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corp. of America, owns and operates the Cimarron prison, which houses state inmates under a contract with the Corrections Department. Its hard to explain your feelings unless you have lost a child, Steve said. Witnesses reluctance to testify, contamination of DNA evidence on the murder weapons after the fight, and the subsequent arrest and conviction on unrelated drug charges of the only correctional officer who witnessed the incident, made getting first-degree murder convictions unlikely, Thomas said. CLIFTON ADCOCK/The Frontier. You can opt-out at any time. 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