Tulsa Juvenile Center Lawsuit Grows With 10 More Victims Alleging Abuse and Misconduct
KTUL - July 10, 2024 6:04 am
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — An additional 10 victims have been added to the lawsuit against the Tulsa Family Center for Juvenile Justice.
The 70-page lawsuit details the alleged abuse of now 30 victims at the hands of detention officers, nurses, and other staff members.
This comes after the arrest of former detention officer Johnathan Hines and Dquan Doyle. Hines is charged with human trafficking, taking a cell phone into a jail, and destroying evidence. Doyle faces charges of sexual battery, indecent exposure, and aiding a minor in a drug crime.
Along with allegations of rampant sexual abuse, the lawsuit claims that staff knowingly fed juveniles’ food they were allergic to, kept juveniles on lockdown without the ability to shower, and they did not properly dispense medications.
The attorney’s with Smolen Law working on this case are requesting that the victims still incarcerated be removed from the detention center.
The non-profit organization, Oklahoma Appleseed, is seeking answers and action in regard to the lawsuit and its claims.
NewsChannel 8 spoke with the Executive Director, Colleen McCarty, who says that the detention center needs to be shut down all together.
“It has to be shut down and the kids have to be moved somewhere where they can be safe while we figure out what’s been going on. There needs to be an independent investigation into every single person that has been in contact with the kids in custody all the way up to the top,” McCarty said.
We reached out to the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs but they said they had no comment at this time because they have not been served yet.