Earlier this week we received a notification from the Robingroom.com, a judicial rating website where ratings and complains are turned in against judges. We follow the Judge Roy Elliot, the corrupt judge that has allowed so much corruption to be swept under the rug including the persecution of our own Sooner Tea Party leader on false blackmail and computer crime charges.
Someone had put up a comment about an inmate in Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel's jail that had a medical condition for which the guy was on some expensive antibiotics. Sounded like a guy with a history of problems with the law but even accused criminals don't deserve to face amputation of limbs while awaiting trial.
The guy had apparently fled from he cops, was arrested and booked into the OK County Jail. There he repeatedly stated that he was on medication and the guy's family also called in with the same information but the delivery and use of the medication was denied.
At some point the prisoner was taken in front of Judge Ray Elliot, with a leg turning black form infection, and Elliot allegedly refused bail or to order medical treatment due to the guy running from the cops at some point previously. The man was facing the almost certain loss of one of his legs and rotten limbs are amputated for a reason; to prevent the amputation of the other limbs as the poison spreads.
A rare and unfortunate thing you say? Back in 2009 Tulsa attorney Clark Brewster won a 2.7 million dollar settlement at federal court after a Creek County los both legs due to a two week jail stay. Russell Mounger lost both legs after blood clots led to infection and the refusal of jail employees to provide medical care. Russell Mounger had been arrested on drug and gun charges and had bonded out then returned to jail after missing a payment to his bondsman.
Thirteen days later he was nearly dead, disorientated and languishing in jail while infection built up in his legs. He had and knee surgery a few days before being arrested on the drug charges. His mother had been calling every day asking about his condition and was told he was fine until November 5th when she was told he had been punched and kicked in an altercation and would see the nurse the next day. Several days later he was so sick that had to be carried into the jail visiting room to visit with his mother because he couldn't walk. The mother called the nurse and was told that "He was faking it."
The mother spent days calling the sheriff, D.A., jail inspectors, and the Health Department but no one would listen. On November 12th she received a phone call from a hospital warning her to come immediately and that the 36 year old inmate was probably going to die. His feet were black from gangrene, his temperature was only 84 degrees, dangerously low blood pressure, and he was bleeding from all orfices. The only chance for him was to amputate both legs. The jail admitted to placing Russell in a restraint chair for "bizarre" behavior and and that they left him in the restraints too long, potentially causing the blood clots.
But heck, that was way up North near Tulsa, our jailers don't do that, right? Oklahoma County Jail has a medical clinic that we all pay for. Well meet Tommy Lee Davis who Sheriff John Whetsel allowed to nearly die of gangrene. Davis was another bad guy and is serving time in prison after pleading guilty to drug and firearm charges. Davis complained of severe stomach pain during his time in the Oklahoma County jail and was denied medical care for days. He was discovered huddled in a corner of his cell after jailers showed up to break up an altercation. OU Medical Center doctors found Davis had perforated intestines that had leaked infection throughout his body and he cause was delayed medical care from the jail.
A series of amputations over about a month slowly carved Davis's limbs from his body. First it was his right leg below he knee. Hen four fingers on his right hand, then five fingers on his left hand, and then his left foot. Like the Creek County case, there was a mother hat was constantly calling and asking questions. Blood was finally drawn for testing but jail officers lost the sample and when it was found it was too old for testing. When the jailers finally found him huddled in a corner the gangrene had spread and infected all his finges and toes. Davis is sued the jail, the County, and Whetsel and while the County Commissioners have talked about the case we were unable locate the outcome of the case.
But these recent cases, just an anomaly someone might say. Well meet Randi Gill, one of the few that work or have ever worked there that has a conscience and morals. Randi says it best with this post on Reddit:
"I've been told many times that I'm either the stupidest woman alive or the bravest... if the truth were told to everyone, then the sheriff would be looking at a federal indictment for abuse, mistreatment, negligence and murder, and he'd go away (along with his cronies) for a long, long time."
Another quote:
"There are some people who really support me, but I'm the only former employee of the sheriff's office (to my knowledge) that has got on the stand against the sheriff since the 1970's. "
And another "Anyone that I approached to speak out gave me the same excuses They say one of the following "I'll lose my job. I'd love to help you, but I've got bills to pay."
or "If I help you they'll blackmail me to death."
or "They'll do to me what they've done to you."'
Randi took a video of a triple amputee that was being beaten with a mop handle. Yes, no typo, a triple amputee, stripped naked and beaten for his refusal to cooperate. Here in Randi's own words is what happened:
"He wasn't cowering, he was a triple amputee who was being beaten after being beat with a mop handle and stripped naked. The video shows the officer dumping him out of his wheelchair, and the officers crowded around are laughing and joking about it. They always laughed while they beat people. I still find that to be one of the most disturbing parts of that place. They laughed while they beat people... I mean, who does that?"
Randi was fired after she reported the fellow workers beating the wheelchair bound triple amputee, use pepper spray on his face, and try to cover up the incident. Her job was to monitor the surveillance cameras in the jail according to a lawsuit filed back sometimes around 2005. Six sheriff deputies were fired three days after the incident but the Oklahoma County D.A. office refused to file charges.
Those fired were: Lt. Billy Huff, 27; Sgt. John Stimson, 28; Sgt. Chris Smith, 31; Officer Jonathan Whyatt, 24; Officer Stephen Clymer, 21; Officer James Nicolle, 26.
At the time Whetsel maintained that the incident wasn't a beating but employees acting improperly but Whetsel refused to release a copy of the incident. Randi had been on duty around 9 pm when a lieutenant and a sergeant came into thee surveillance center to rewind one of the camera taps and view the incident. She watched the tape along with the other officers and reported an old man in a wheelchair and a deputy dumping him from the chair and beating the old man with a mop handle. Many officers stood by watching including a sergeant who laughed and walked away. After the beating another officer sprayed the old man in the face with pepper spray. One of the officers involved attempted to erase the tape and told underlings what to write in their reports.
Whetsel's version was that Marvin Oldcrow Jr was booked in for being drunk and was covered in "bodily fluids". Now think about that, sitting in a wheel chair, no access to a rest room which is commonly reported at the jail, so he probably did piss on his self while drunk or during the beating. The spokesperson for Whetsel claimed that you can't see striking but "mopping" and "trying to pull off his clothes without touching the biohazard." Really? A mop works better than a water hose? Anyone ever seen anyone "mop" another human being?
Oldcrow had been booked into the jail a total of 54 times for drunkenness so the cops ought to have known how to handle the guy. The Sheriff's office claimed Oldcrow tried to spit on someone… right, after being dumped out of a wheelchair, beaten with a mop handle, clothing stripped off, you think someone isn't going to try to spit at you? And of course rather than release the video to prove their version of the events Whetsel made sure that video never made it to the news media.
Whetsel's office admitted that the employees tried to cover things up. Whetsel denied that Randi Gill was fired for reporting the incident but was fired for stealing checks from the mailroom. In fact, another woman that worked in the mailroom had confessed to those thefts and provided her bank statements to Whetsel to show how much was stolen and when. Randi didn't have access to that department around the time that the theft occurred.
The RobingRoom.com report disappeared a few days after it was posted. Perhaps the inmate was threatened by the judge or by Whetsel or his staff? Perhaps the guy's lawyer asked for it to be taken down to prevent retaliation by the judge. Perhaps the guy received the needed medical attention or perhaps he is dead or missing limbs like the others that have walked that path.
Whetsel surely is proud of his actions on this case. I wonder what the settlement is going to be this time? Justice isn't a criminal winning millions of tax dollars in a court settlement; justice would be Sheriff John Whetsel being arrested on corruption charges, rotting away in his own jail, and losing limbs to withheld medical care.
