Judge orders check of all Oklahoma County inmates

Oklahoma County Jail

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A local judge has issued the first-ever court-sanctioned check of all inmates in Oklahoma County’s jail after learning one detainee was lost in the criminal justice system for nearly eight months.

County court documents show that people taken into custody must be arraigned within 10 days. However, Charles E. Lemons was jailed in July but not arraigned until last week.

He’d been arrested on probation violations stemming from failing to register as a sex offender. He was released Wednesday.

The Oklahoman reports the county’s presiding Judge Tom Prince made the order Tuesday after a public defender, Bob Ravitz, notified him of the error.

Ravitz, his team and the sheriff’s office will conduct checks of the inmates Friday by asking if they’ve seen a judge or have an upcoming court date or an attorney.