OKMULGEE, Okla. — The Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office and the Muscogee Lighthorse are both describing an incident that sparked tension at the Okmulgee County Jail on Dec. 18.
The Muscogee Nation said a jail official assaulted a Lighthorse police officer after a dispute about jurisdiction rights during an arrest.
Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddie Rice released a statement after the incident, reminding the public that OCSO doesn't run the jail, and his deputies maintained professionalism throughout the incident. The accused jail official works for the Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority.
On Dec. 21, Muscogee Creek Nation confirmed OCJ official Matthew J. Douglas voluntarily surrendered to the Muscogee Nation District Court. He is expected to face a charge of protected status battery on a police officer.
Douglas appeared in court and was released on bond. He is scheduled to appear in MCN District Court on January 17.
2 News is working to speak with a representative from the Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority.
Attorney General Getner Drummond's office sent 2 News this statement: “Attorney General Drummond has been in contact with all parties to ensure a peaceful and lawful resolution.”
According to AG Wisner, the incident began as Lighthorse police officers, under cross-deputization with the Grand River Dam Authority, attempted to take a man to the Okmulgee County Jail for fentanyl possession and driving recklessly in a school zone. Wisner said the Okmulgee Police Department did not assist on the call and jail officials "belligerently" refused to accept the arrested man into the jail.
Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said police did get a call to respond but at that time all the units were on other calls. He said no other calls for assistance came in.
The Muscogee Nation said they have bodycam footage showing jail official Matthew Douglas telling Lighthorse officers it's their policy not to accept suspects from them and that Lighthorse aren't "real police."
The officers said they told Douglas it is a violation of state law for Okmulgee County Jail to refuse acceptance of any lawfully arrested person. They said that is when Douglas threatened to fabricate charges against the officers for illegally bringing weapons into jail.
The Muscogee Nation said Douglas threatened to lock the officers in the receiving area with the man being arrested. Lighthorse Police Deputy Chief Dennis Northcross said he followed Douglas to the control room, where he was assaulted. They did not provide details of the assault.
The Okmulgee Country Sheriff's Office was then called to the scene. Sheriff Eddie Rice said the situation was "calmed." Lighthorse police left, and the man was taken into jail custody.
The next day, Dec. 19, three Lighthorse officers attempted to serve Douglas with an arrest warrant but said they weren't able to serve him the necessary papers.
Sheriff Rice said the warrant is not valid because Douglas is not Native. He said several calls were made to legal experts about the warrant, and the Lighthorse officers were denied entry into the jail.
The Muscogee Nation said in addition to pursuing charges against jail officer Matthew Douglas, they're in talks with Oklahoma's Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division about the "unlawful policies and disrespect from Okmulgee County officials both here at the jail and beyond."
The Muscogee Nation also said this is not an isolated incident, and Okmulgee County officials need to be held accountable.
"We understand that the Okmulgee County officials dislike federal laws that grant tribal law enforcement jurisdiction. But those political opinions do not give Okmulgee County the right to disregard and violate laws," Wisner said. "It certainly does not give them license to assault another police officer."
Governor Kevin Stitt released a statement after the news conference. He said this was a downfall of the McGirt ruling.
"This is the direct effect of the broken system created by the McGirt decision. Without jurisdictional clarity, we are left with a patchwork system and heightened tensions. I am glad cooler heads prevailed and prevented the situation from escalating to a dangerous level, but this demonstrates the need for collective action. In response, I am gathering stakeholders to discuss practical solutions that keep our citizens and law enforcement safe while I continue to call on Congress and the courts to address this problem."
The Okmulgee County Jail is also facing an investigation from the Oklahoma State Department of Health related to the mistreatment of juveniles.
In response, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Friday that he signed an executive order creating the One Oklahoma Task Force. It is to develop and submit a report containing uniform cross-deputization and jail agreements, and legislative and regulatory recommendations to address the effects of the McFirt decision.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation responded to Gov. Stitt with suggestions:
- Focus on promoting cooperation and not inflaming division.
- Engage tribes honestly and let them speak for themselves.
- Focus on requiring state and local agencies to follow the law.
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