The December 24, 2017 Death of Thasha Prindle at Latimer County Detention Center in Oklahoma is Under Investigation
At approximately 5 a.m. on December 24, 2017, Thasha Prindle was discovered unresponsive in her cell at the Latimer County Detention Center in Wilburton, Oklahoma. She was declared dead minutes later. At about 5:30 a.m., the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office asked for help from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), to investigate what they referred to as a “suspicious death.” Prindle had been in a traffic accident and in the Latimer County General Hospital just prior to being jailed. The medical examiner’s office will determine the exact cause and manner of death, and the investigation into her death is underway.
In Texas, the Texas Rangers always investigate custodial deaths. There are jail standards in place which are designed to ensure that prisoners are safe during periods of incarceration. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has the responsibility of inspecting jails to determine whether minimum jail standards are being followed. Documentation can provide evidence that failing to uphold requirements is potentially linked to the death of a prisoner.
Investigations into custodial deaths sometimes result in prosecution of jail staff. An example involves the April 19, 2017, death of Charlton Cash Chrisman, who was a prisoner at Oklahoma County Jail for one day. Following his death, two former jailers were charged with felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The officers had allegedly used pepper balls in trying to subdue Chrisman just prior to his death. The autopsy had found that a contributing factor in the death was being hit by pepper balls multiple times.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
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