Joe Allen Sims Jr.
Joe Allen Sims Jr., 44, died in his cell at the Cleveland County Detention Center on February 24, 2023. A jail spokesperson said he was found hanging with a cloth around his neck. A health department incident report, as reported by Oklahoma Watch, says video shows he hanged himself 16 minutes after an officer last checked on him, and that officers found his body 77 minutes later while he was under critical watch. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and the Medical Examiner's Office are investigating, and the official cause and manner of death have not been determined.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). A health department incident report says video shows he hanged himself 16 minutes after an officer last checked on him on a critical watch, and that officers found his body 77 minutes later.
Reported by: Cleveland County Detention Center jail spokesperson (the agency that held him); health department incident report.