Six current, former Garvin Co. Jail staff members indicted for alleged civil rights violations

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Five current and former correction officers and one correctional nurse were charged with federal civil rights violations on Friday in connection to the death of a Garvin County Jail detainee.

The indictment alleges that on August 6, 2023, former GCJ Sergeant Jennifer Baxter, former GCJ Deputies Alesha Danielle Ingram and Vincent Matthews, and former GCJ Nurse Lynnsee Noel violated a pretrial detainee's constitutional rights by "being deliberately indifferent to a substantial risk of serious physical harm" posed by other inmates at jail.

The detainee, who has not been named, was injured as a result of the alleged indifference.

Baxter, Ingram, Matthews, Noel and two current jailers, Sergeant Melissa Melton and Deputy Paula Kelley, also failed to provide the necessary medical care to the detainee on August 6 and 7, 2023, which ultimately resulted in her death, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

If convicted, the six defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

This is a developing story.