Ronald Garland
Ronald Garland was 56 when he died in June 2017. His mother, Janice Bush, says she wishes she had bailed him out sooner, and she plans to donate part of a settlement to alcohol rehab facilities in Oklahoma that her son had attended. While he was held at the Creek County Jail, a hospital record quoted in news reports attributes his death to sudden cardiac death in the setting of physical exertion. He died in hospital days later, after his mother chose to take him off life support. Attorney Mitchell Garrett says court documents show jailers beat Garland while he was in custody, and Creek County paid his mother $750,000; a county commissioner said the settlement was made to avoid trial and was not an admission of fault.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed). The hospital record cites sudden cardiac death during physical exertion, while attorney Mitchell Garrett says court documents show jailers beat Garland in custody.
Reported by: hospital record as quoted in article; attorney Mitchell Garrett (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother sued Creek County over his death at the Creek County Jail, and the county settled for $750,000 without admitting fault.