OK County Sherriff, DA Spar Over Jail Transport

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma County Sherriff’s Office continues to transport detainees to and from the jail and courthouse – despite Oklahoma County Tommie Johnson III’s repeated assertion that the current arrangement runs afoul of the law and is preventing him from properly executing his lawful duties as sheriff.
On Monday, May 11, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Heather Coyle issued a writ that requires the sheriff’s office to continue providing transportation for jail detainees, though Johnson had informed county officials that his office would be turning over those duties to the jail trust as of July 1.
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna has been pushing for the county to prevent Johnson from ending the contract between his office and the jail trust. Johnson said Behenna is not a party to the contract and should have no say in the matter.
Johnson recently asked Oklahoma County commissioners to allow him to obtain outside legal counsel after a heated exchange between himself and Behenna at the jail trust meeting on May 8, in which he called Behenna “unethical” and she accused him of having an issue with “older women.” The commissioners turned down Johnson’s request to be represented by outside legal counsel in the matter.
The issue stems from the creation of the jail trust, which was formed in May 2019. The jail, which had previously been operated by the Oklahoma County Sherriff’s Office – then helmed by former Oklahoma County Sheriff P.D. Taylor – had long been plagued with operational and health and safety issues. The county formed a jail trust to take over operations of the jail, assuming all of the duties the sheriff’s office used to perform. However, when the jail trust was formed, the issue of transporting detainees was excluded from the list of duties the jail trust would assume.
The trust then formed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or a contract, between the jail trust and the sheriff’s office, paying the sheriff to continue to provide transport.
Johnson was elected sheriff in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Johnson now contends that the sheriff’s office is short-staffed, and continuing to provide transport to the jail is preventing him from performing his lawful duty of providing security for judges, public servants and the public at the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The contract between the sheriff’s office and the jail for transport is “voluntary” and may be cancelled at any time by either party, he said, while his obligation to provide security at the courthouse is mandated by law.
Johnson announced his office would end the MOU and spend seven weeks training jail employees to replace the sheriffs providing transport. Johnson said jail employees already provide transport to detainees who are sent to the hospital and other places, and they are capable of performing the task.
Behenna sent a letter to the jail trust and appeared before the body in early May arguing that the jail is too short-staffed to assume transport duties. Behenna had also requested an opinion from State Attorney General Gentner Drummond stating that the Trust Indenture creating the jail trust “did not modify the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s legal duty to transport inmates to and from the Oklahoma County courthouse for court appearances.”
Behenna’s letter incorrectly stated that just four counties in Oklahoma have a jail trust, and in all of those counties the sheriff provides transport for detainees. Johnson called out several inaccuracies in her letter. Several counties have a jail trust – many more than the four cited by Behenna – and in several of those counties, the jail trust provides transportation for detainees.
“I must assume that this was intentionally misstated to persuade this body to make an illegitimate decision to further the DA’s agenda,” Johnson said. “I said you are unethical, by your actions and everything you’ve demonstrated” in this issue, Johnson told Behenna.
Behenna, who repeatedly stepped away from the microphone at the meeting in order to address Johnson directly, claimed Johnson had a problem with “women, maybe older women.”
“You bring up issues about being a woman – are you serious?” Johnson said to Behenna. “I thing that’s as low as it truly gets. I think that’s low for you… You can fall back on whatever you want to fall back on. I will continue to fall back on state statute and law.”
The Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association recently put out a statement supporting Johnson’s position in the dispute.