Sheriff, all her deputies and a police dog resign to protest Oklahoma jail conditions [View all]

[demmiblue]

An Oklahoma sheriff and nearly all of her staff resigned this week to protest what she says are dangerous jail conditions.

Nowata County is reeling after sheriff Terry Sue Barnett read her letter of resignation at a news conference on Monday, saying a judge "tried to bribe" her to support a jail that is unsafe for staff and prisoners.

Nowata County Judge Carl Gibson ordered Barnett and her undersheriff to a court appearance on Tuesday where he said he has an “obligation to live within a budget” and Barnett didn't respect that, ABC Tulsa reports.

Twelve members of the Nowata County Sheriff's Office staff, including all deputies, the head dispatcher and most of the jail staff, resigned with Barnett, NBC News reports. The office’s K-9 ranger even quit, signing paperwork with a paw print, Barnett said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/21/sheriff-deputies-police-dog-resign-protest-oklahoma-jail-conditions/3231380002/