New Allegations Of Abuse Surface In Federal Lawsuit Against Tulsa County Juvenile Justice Center

Seven new victims and several new allegations have been added to a lawsuit filed against the Tulsa County Juvenile Justice Center.

Nearly 30 people who were in custody at the center, are now accusing some of the employees at the center of abuse and neglect.

The new allegations accuse employees of beating residents, bribing residents to fight each other, and giving out pills containing meth.

The attorney representing the teenagers says as this case gets more attention, more people are coming forward.

The teenagers say in the federal lawsuit, employees at the center essentially created a “fight club.”

They say this is because employees would give residents special privileges like using their phones in exchange for beating up other residents.

One said if there was a kid that an employee wanted hurt, they would take another kid to their cell to beat them up, then reward those who did the attack.

They say other employees would place bets on which of the kids would win in a fight.

Law enforcement served a search warrant at the center last month.

The next day, a teenager says they were given several pills by an employee and when the teen was taken to the hospital, they tested positive for meth.

Another teenager reported spending three days in a row without running water and intentionally getting injured, just to get out of the cell.

The lawsuit includes a letter sent by Lora Howard, the Tulsa County Chief Public Defender, urging the Office of Juvenile Affairs, the Tulsa County Commissioners, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, and Juvenile Justice Center Manager David Parker to shutdown the Juvenile Justice Center and let Parker start from scratch, hiring new people and creating new policies.

Her letter reads:

“I am once again writing to request immediate closure of the Tulsa County Juvenile Detention Center. Serious incidents continue to take place. Less than two weeks ago, hours after a large law enforcement presence which included federal agents served a search warrant on detention, a child overdosed on drugs that were provided by a staff member. Tuesday, I became aware of a report of sexual battery upon a child by a worker that occurred the night before last. This assault has been reported to TPD. Notably, this most recent assault occurred after control of the detention center was assumed by the BOCC, and the appointment of David Parker as detention manager.   When Mr. Parker spoke with the media last Friday, he indicated that he would “run the facility by himself” if that was what it took. Practically speaking, it is not possible to run the detention facility without a robust and well-trained staff. The current staff continues to engage in criminal behavior against children. Closure of the facility, for a brief interim period, would allow Mr. Parker to build a new team from the ground up. It is abundantly clear that a new team is needed to provide a safe environment for these vulnerable children. I would urge you to close this facility immediately in the interest of protecting the children currently detained.”

Christopher Brecht, an attorney with Smolen Law who represents the teenagers, says he believes there are still more victims out there who have not yet come forward.

“It's shocking because it's only 27 in a couple of years,” said Brecht. “If you think about how long that detention center has been running, God only knows how many actual victims of that place there are. That we may never know about.”

Brecht hopes if anyone else has been a victim at the center, they will join the lawsuit.

“Speak up,” said Brecht. “If something happened to you or you know something happened to somebody let us know, let somebody know. You are worth more than what was done to you.”

Past allegations at the center included sexual assaults and criminal charges have been filed against Jonathan Hines and Dquan Doyle, both former employees, and those cases are ongoing.

Tulsa County Commissioner Stan Sallee sent News On 6 the following statement:

“I was notified about this amendment this afternoon and I'm working to learn all the facts. Although I can't be interviewed on pending litigation, I am aware of only one allegation since we took over last month which Parker and TPD thoroughly investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. I have been very engaged with the facility daily and focused on ensuring the youth in our care are safe. We are committed to investigating any allegations that arise. Once we know more about the amendment and allegations (where possible legally) we'll get updates distributed from the county.”

David Keesling, the attorney for Dquan Doyle, objected to the new allegations in the lawsuit.

Keesling sent News On 6 the following statement:

“Yes, we objected to the plaintiffs’ request to amend their complaint. Given the fact that we have a Motion to Stay pending before the Court, it seems appropriate that we not lend support to Plaintiffs’ request to amend while the request to stay the proceedings is pending.”

News On 6 reached out to the office of Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, who did not want to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit because they are prosecuting the criminal case.

News On 6 reached out to the Public Information Officer for Tulsa County was told they can’t comment on pending litigation.

News On 6 reached out to David Parker, the Manager of the Juvenile Justice Center, and was told they can’t comment on pending litigation.

News On 6 reached out to the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs and was told by their Chief of Operational Excellence that they do not comment on ongoing litigation.