Homeless Veteran beaten to death in jail cell

Family of slain veteran sues sheriff, county commissioners
Family of slain inmate sues sheriff, Oklahoma County commissioners in federal court, alleging man’s civil rights were violated.
New OK
By Matt Dinger
Published: March 18, 2014

Hales was arrested on March 11, 2013, on complaints of three misdemeanor complaints of loitering, littering and failure to appear.

He was killed in his cell March 18, 2013.

Two men with apparent mental issues, one with a history of violence, were placed together in an Oklahoma County jail cell.

One ended up beaten to death, the other was charged with murder and now the dead man’s mother is suing Sheriff John Whetsel and county commissioners in federal court, alleging her son’s civil rights were violated.

The lawsuit contends the jail had no business placing Artie Hales, 55, a homeless veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and dementia, in the same cell as Marshall Tyrone James, 51, a convicted felon in jail on a sexual battery complaint.

“Artie Hales was deprived of life and liberty without due process,” the complaint states.

Whetsel himself has complained that with 350 to 400 inmates with mental disorders and on psychotropic medication, the jail has become by default the largest mental health care provider in the state.
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