Oklahoma jail deputy convicted of civil rights violation in detainee’s death

A federal jury has convicted a former detention deputy at the Garvin County Jail in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, of violating a pretrial detainee’s civil rights by ignoring her serious medical needs — conduct that resulted in bodily injury and the detainee’s death, the Justice Department announced.

Paula Kelley was found guilty June 12 of one count of violating 18 U.S.C. § 242, a federal civil rights statute, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. She faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Prosecutors said Kelley was on duty as a detention deputy when she became aware that pretrial detainee Kayla Turley was facing serious medical needs. Despite knowing of and observing Turley’s condition, Kelley willfully failed to take any reasonable steps to address those needs, as established at trial. Turley suffered bodily injury and ultimately died as a result of the failure of Kelley and other jail staff to act, prosecutors said.

“By ignoring the victim’s serious medical needs, the defendant betrayed the most basic duties of her position and violated the victim’s civil rights,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Kelley’s conviction is one of six arising from Turley’s death. Four former detention deputies and one former jail nurse previously pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations for their roles in the case.

Detention Deputy Jennifer Baxter and former GCJ nurse Lynsee Noel each pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 242 based on their failure to take reasonable measures to help Turley obtain medical care for her serious medical needs, according to the Justice Department. Baxter and Noel, along with former deputies Vincent Matthews and Alesha Ingram, also pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 242 by being deliberately indifferent to Turley’s safety when they failed to intervene and stop other inmates from assaulting her after becoming frustrated with her cries for help.

Former Deputy Melissa Melton pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 242 by being deliberately indifferent to a substantial risk of serious harm to Turley due to her serious medical needs, resulting in bodily injury.

Baxter, Noel, Matthews, Ingram and Melton each face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 under their plea agreements.

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“The correctional officers in this case failed to obtain clearly needed medical care for a pretrial detainee, resulting in her death,” said FBI Oklahoma City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office and is being prosecuted by the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.

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