Another Inmate Dies At Cleveland County Jail Amid Ongoing Investigation

Another inmate has died at the Cleveland County Detention Center (CCDC), marking the 10th death at the facility in the last three years. Alex J. Wright, 34, was found unresponsive in his cell early Thursday morning, according to officials with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), which has been called in to assist.

Wright, a convicted drug trafficker, had been in custody on state drug charges since April 2024. Emergency medical responders arrived at the jail just before 5 a.m. following a 911 call reporting a possible cardiac arrest. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, Wright was pronounced dead. The exact cause of death is still under investigation.

This latest death comes amid growing scrutiny of the jail under Sheriff Chris Amason’s administration. Since 2021, 10 inmates have died at the facility, eight of those deaths occurring since 2022, according to records maintained by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). Wright’s death occurred while the jail is already the subject of an independent investigation ordered by Cleveland County Commissioners to address mounting safety concerns.

In August, the county hired SIMCO Correctional Consulting, a Missouri-based firm specializing in jail safety and operations, to conduct a comprehensive review of the detention center’s policies. The consulting firm, led by Joseph E. Gunja, is tasked with identifying the root causes of inmate deaths and recommending safety improvements. The investigation, which began Sept. 9, less than a month ago, comes after Cleveland County officials expressed alarm over the rising death toll.

The sheriff’s office has faced increased scrutiny over its management of the facility, particularly as allegations of financial mismanagement in FY 2024 launched a state investigative audit. A budget dispute between Sheriff Amason and the county commissioners is ongoing.

Cleveland County Director of Communications issued a statement upon official notification of the Oct. 3 inmate death, “Commissioners are saddened by the loss of life at the detention center,” Storme Jones said, “while recognizing that inmate populations tend to be higher risk than the average population, they [commissioners] find any preventable loss of life unacceptable.” 

Sheriff Amason declined to comment on Wright’s death.

According to dispatch logs, Wright was found unconscious and not breathing in a jail quad, with CPR already in progress. Other details have not been released due to the ongoing investigation.

Several lawsuits have been filed against the CCDC, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Amason, other county employees, and contractors. 

The Cleveland County Detention Center has been the focus of public criticism following other inmate deaths, including the high-profile case of Shannon Hanchett, a local business owner who died in custody in December 2022. Hanchett’s family has filed a lawsuit, alleging medical neglect by the jail’s health provider, Turn Key Health, which is also under review as part of SIMCO’s investigation.

As the investigation into Wright’s death unfolds, it adds further urgency to SIMCO’s review, which is expected to provide recommendations aimed at improving conditions at the jail.

The OSBI did not provide information as to the extent of its involvement in Wright’s death investigation or any of the other inmate deaths, stating only that it has been requested to help investigate seven suspicious deaths at the Cleveland County Detention Center since 2021. It is not clear if the OSBI has completed any of those investigations.