The trust wants more time to investigate staffing and funding before a judge considers Tommie Johnson III’s request to shift responsibility for transporting detainees.
UPDATE: The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office says it maintained the same overall staffing for inmate transportation, disputing the jail trust’s allegation.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma County jail trust asked a judge Friday to delay consideration of Sheriff Tommie Johnson III’s effort to make the trust responsible for transporting detainees, alleging his office reduced staffing while seeking the same level of county funding.
The trust’s filing, supported by a sworn affidavit from its attorney, Rodney Heggy, alleges the sheriff’s office reduced the number of deputies assigned to each transport van from two to one.
Heggy contended the change cut transportation service in half, made it unsafe and violated a court order requiring the sheriff to continue transporting detainees. He also alleged the sheriff sought the same amount of county funding despite the staffing reduction.
The Oklahoma County Budget Board voted Aug. 20 to move $800,000 previously budgeted for the jail trust into a new inmate-transportation line item. The public record of that action does not show whether any of the money has been paid to the sheriff’s office.
The court has not determined whether the trust’s allegations are true.
Dispute over responsibility
The trust said it needs records and testimony before responding fully to Johnson’s Sept. 3 motion for summary judgment, which asks the judge to rule without a trial. It has scheduled a Sept. 24 deposition of a sheriff’s office representative concerning transportation staffing and funding.
Johnson filed the lawsuit in June, arguing that state law makes the trust responsible for transporting detainees between the Oklahoma County Detention Center and the courthouse and staffing courthouse holding cells.
The trust’s governing document excludes those duties from its responsibilities. Johnson argues that the exclusions conflict with state law.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond previously concluded that the sheriff remains responsible. The sheriff’s office also remains under a May court order requiring it to continue transporting detainees while the dispute is resolved.
Canadian County District Judge Paul Hesse, who is presiding over the case, previously declined to order the trust to resume payments under the terminated transportation agreement.
A hearing on Johnson’s request remains scheduled for Oct. 15. Hesse had not ruled Friday on the trust’s request for a delay.
