Norman Police Department is investigating the death of a Cleveland County Detention Center inmate on Sunday, the 11th death in the last three years in local custody.
According to a Monday press release, officers responded to a welfare check request at approximately 9:29 a.m. Saturday near McGee Drive and Rowena Lane.
Officers found Jeffrey Brake, 61, crawling in the roadway, seemingly under the influence of narcotics, the release states. Officers arrested Brake and transported him to a local hospital for treatment.
Officers responded to a call at 7:09 a.m. Sunday from the Norman Regional Hospital, where they found Brake crawling on the ground near the ambulance bay, according to the release. Hospital staff provided officers with documentation for Brake’s treatment and release.
Brake was transported to the Cleveland County Detention Center on a complaint of public intoxication involving narcotics. The release states that upon arrival at the jail he experienced a medical emergency. Officers performed life-saving measures until first responders arrived and took over.
Brake was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
According to the release, there was no use of force in either interaction between law enforcement and Brake. The preliminary investigation indicates Brake’s death was due to a medical emergency. A complete investigation is ongoing.
April Doshier, executive director at Food and Shelter, Inc., told OU Daily Monday that Brake frequently visited the facility.
“He’s somebody that we knew for many years,” Doshier said.
Doshier said Brake’s death was difficult for employees at the organization who often get to know people who visit the facility personally.
“We know them as so much more than a person who’s homeless,” Doshier said. “We know the human being that’s connected to the name.”
Background
Brake’s death is the 11th in three years at the detention center. The most recent death was Carl Douglas Kachel, 53, who died in May after going into medical distress.
In March, the medical contractor at the detention center, TK Health, formerly Turn Key Health Clinics, announced it would not renew its contract with Cleveland County. The new medical contractor, Redemption Correctional Healthcare Solutions, will take over the center July 1, as first reported by the Norman Transcript.
In January, Cleveland County District Court judges Michael Tupper and Thad Balkman raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the jail via email. The concerns included “unreasonably long delays” for in-person visits between inmates and attorneys, which could violate inmates’ constitutional rights.
Since 2022, the detention center has repeatedly failed unannounced annual inspections, with major complaints cited in inspection reports including unsanitary living conditions and delayed access to hygiene products.
Shannon Hanchett, who ran a bakery in downtown Norman and was known as the Cookie Queen, died in the Cleveland County jail on Dec. 8, 2022, after being arrested on a complaint of misdemeanor obstruction and false reporting.
In January 2024, a federal lawsuit was filed against the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, TK Health and three medical professionals. The lawsuit alleged the defendants denied Hanchett of her constitutional rights while in custody, contributing to her death, but it was dismissed in August.
The lawsuit also claimed Hanchett was not administered any psychotropic medications as her mental health deteriorated rapidly while in custody. It was stated in the arrest report that Hanchett suffered from a mental health disorder. During booking, she told jail staff she suffered from bipolar disorder and lupus.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Natalie Armour.
