Ronald Garland
Ronald Garland, 56, was held at the Creek County Jail in Oklahoma in June 2017. His mother, Janice Bush, said he had bipolar disorder, was not a threat, and that she wanted answers about how he died. Jail staff said he got into an altercation with detention staff and that, while he was being restrained, they noticed he was having a medical emergency. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said he was placed in a restraint chair before he became unresponsive and later died at a Tulsa hospital, and the medical examiner's cause of death was still pending. A lawsuit says jailers beat him, restrained him in a chair with his head bent nearly to the floor, and did not treat his toxic level of intoxication; Creek County paid his mother $750,000 to settle, without admitting fault.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The Creek County Sheriff's Office says Garland had an altercation with jail staff and a medical emergency during restraint, while his family's lawsuit says officers beat him, restrained him in a chair with his head bent nearly to the floor, and withheld treatment for toxic intoxication.
Reported by: Creek County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother sued Creek County and the county settled for $750,000 to avoid trial, without admitting fault, while the sheriff and others named in a separate suit paid $750,000 to settle and Turn Key paid an undisclosed amount.