OKMULGEE, Okla. — The Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority, who runs the Okmulgee County Jail, issued a statement on Dec. 29 about an incident between its employees and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse police over a week ago.
The OCCJA called a fight between their officers and Lighthorse police on Dec. 18 a "challenging interaction."
The argument, which turned physical, was sparked by a disagreement over jurisdictional rights. Lighthorse police arrested a man for fentanyl possession and driving recklessly in a school zone.
The OCCJA said it has no contractual detention agreement and therefore, denied taking the arrested man into the jail.
"Once it was determined the arrestee was non-native, the detention staff further delayed the incarceration based on jurisdictional understanding," the OCCJA said in a statement.
This is when Lighthorse Officer Bell told jail staff he was acting as a state officer under cross-deputization with the Grand River Dam Authority. The officer said he had to make the arrest because no other law enforcement was available to assist at the time.
The OCCJA said Sgt. Mathew Douglas, who MCN Lighthorse attempted to arrest the day after the incident, was unaware of the GRDA or the law enforcement authority of the GRDA continued to "delay" the incarceration of the arrested man while he sought clarification away from the Lighthorse officers.
Lighthorse Deputy Police Chief Dennis Northcross followed Douglas into a controlled room of the jail, which the OCCJA said is a felony.
The OCCJA and the Muscogee Creek Nation describe the incident differently, but the security footage of the incident is attached at the bottom of this story for viewers to decide for themselves.
To read statements from the Muscogee Creek Nation, Okmulgee Sheriff's Office and the Attorney General about the incident, click here.
- Previous coverage >>> Muscogee Nation says jail official assaulted officer after jurisdiction dispute
The OCCJA explained the physical altercation like this:
"When Sgt Douglas unexpectedly turned and saw Northcross, he verbally instructed him he was in a restricted and controlled area and needed to return to the pre-booking area," said in a statement on Facebook. "Northcross resisted the request as Sgt Douglas attempted to usher him out. Northcross became aggressive towards Sgt. Douglas and pushed him with two hands (Violation of Oklahoma State Statue Title 21-649 – a Felony crime) and attempted to force his way further into the controlled area. Douglas continued to use his body to block Northcross causing Northcross to attempt to put Douglas in an armbar control technique. Being unsuccessful, Northcross again attempted to push past Douglas moving further into the controlled area while Douglas kept his hands in a non-aggressive position."
The OCCJA said more than a dozen Lighthorse squad cars arrived at the jail shortly after the incident occurred, calling it a calculated and orchestrated confrontation.
The jail claims it was never given a copy of the cross-deputization agreement between GRDA and Lighthorse police, but after discussions with the District Attorney learned Lighthorse was acting within proper authority.
On Dec. 19, 2023, Executive Director Shannon Clark and OCCJA Chairman R. David Walker met with Principal Chief Hill and his Administrative Staff.
"After an hour-long meeting, which Clark described as productive, informative, and insightful, both parties agreed to exchange videos capturing the incident to better understand each other’s professional position. Clark said the meeting ended positively and with the shaking of hands and the exchange of their word, it was agreed to put this incident behind them, in the interest of public safety and make the CN and State a better place," the jail authority said in it's statement.
It was after this meeting that Lighthorse police attempted to arrest Douglas. The OCCJA said the MCN failed to provide body cam footage of the incident after they released their security footage. Lighthorse officers were unable to arrest Douglas as he had already left for the day.
2 News received the body cam footage from the MCN that day. We reached out the jail several times after the incident. This statement is the first 2 News has heard from the OCCJA since.
The OCCJA also said Lighthorse police remained in the area after failing to arrest Douglas. They claim Lighthorse officers followed an employee to her home.
"The OCCJA administration and staff are sadden, perplexed, and disheartened that the CN Attorney General Geri Wisner would recklessly and unjustly order for the arrest of a non-native citizen for an alleged crime, utilizing native laws, while applauding the aggressive and calculated criminal misconduct of her LH colleagues," the statement reads.
The full OCCJA statement and security footage:
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