A severely injured inmate was taken from the Tulsa County jail to the hospital in a patrol car after laying on a cell floor injured for hours, according to the sheriff's office.
At a press conference Thursday, Sheriff Vic Regalado and Detective Sgt. Virgil Collett described the May 2 incident saying inmate David Fulps, 38, repeatedly told jail staff he did not need medical treatment. They said staff members decided to get him treatment once they saw he was bleeding.
"He lay there a matter of hours before he was taken to the hospital. Not days," Collett said while appearing to refer to a reportthat sparked questions about the case.
Regalado said, while ambulances are used, sometimes inmates are taken to the hospital by patrol car depending on the severity of their apparent injuries.
"The reason we do that is to not tie up EMSA," he said.
Right now, Fulps charges have been dropped– Sheriff Regalado said that's so the county doesn't have to cover Fulps' extensive medical bills during what is likely to be a lengthy hospital stay.
"I mean this was his doing so we are certainly not going to pay for that," he said.
Regalado said Fulps' injuries are so severe he doesn't pose a threat to the public. There is a video surveillance system at the jail, but the sheriff's office said video of the incident is not yet available for the public.
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