Governor Stitt responds to tensions at Okmulgee County jail

OKMULGEE, Okla. — UPDATE: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt released a statement on the situation at the Okmulgee County Jail this week.

“This is the direct effect of the broken system created by the McGirt decision. Without jurisdictional clarity, we are left with a patchwork system and heightened tensions. I am glad cooler heads prevailed and prevented the situation from escalating to a dangerous level, but this demonstrates the need for collective action. In response, I am gathering stakeholders to discuss practical solutions that keep our citizens and law enforcement safe while I continue to call on Congress and the courts to address this problem.” -Governor Kevin Stitt.

The Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police held a press conference on Thursday on their attempt to serve an arrest warrant on an Okmulgee County Jail official.

FOX23 was told by multiple sources either close to the matter or who have even witnessed part of Wednesday’s scuffle that Muscogee Lighthorse Police attempted to arrest an Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority Jailer when he showed up for work Wednesday at the Okmulgee County Jail.

The arrest warrant stems from an altercation in which a jailer is alleged to have assaulted a tribal police officer during a physical fight on Monday.

Tribal police said they made an arrest on Monday regarding fentanyl being found in a suspect’s vehicle following a traffic stop.

Tribal police said they requested Okmulgee Police to respond, but they refused so they had to make the arrest.

When they transferred the suspect to Okmulgee County Jail, the jail refused to take in the suspect for booking an processing.

This led to a fight between a tribal police officer and detention officer.

The Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Thursday denying many details about the incident.

“On Monday, December 18, 2023, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office received a call for assistance at the Okmulgee County Jail. The Okmulgee County Jail has it’s own administration and is overseen by the Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority. Upon arrival to the jail, there were 15-20 Muskogee Creek Nation Lighthorse tribal police present.”

Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office said they were called to respond to the jail due to the altercation. When they got there, they said tribal patrol units had blocked the roadways around the jail and parked tribal units so they blocked on-duty OCSO patrol units in their parking spots, preventing them from responding to emergency calls.

The following evening on Tuesday, Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said he learned tribal police were at the Okmulgee County Jail once again, but this time with a tribal arrest warrant for a non-tribal OCCJA detention officer who was involved in the altercation on Monday.

“There were several phone conversations made by legal experts related to the issuance of this Tribal arrest warrant for a non-tribal citizen and the CLH was denied entry into the jail by OCCA staff,” OCSO said. “Three OCSO deputies were at their office located in the same building as the jail and observed several CNLH units circling the block and parked at the Okmulgee Library. OCSO deputies were instructed to stay inside their office and absolutely no interactions took place between the two law enforcement agencies.”

Rice said his deputies have been positive and professional during each situation.

“Sheriff Rice is proud of the job his deputies are doing in the field and the misinformation related to this incident is uncalled for and out of hand,” OCSO said.

FOX23 was told when Okmulgee County law enforcement was not showing a willingness to pursue charges against one of their own for the fight, Muscogee Lighthorse Police filed their own warrant for the jailer who is not a citizen of any tribe, and then they attempted to arrest him under their own authority.

FOX23 was told when they got to the jail, tribal police were told they do not have authority to enter the jail and were not allowed inside, and a legal standoff of some sort ensued between the agencies as to how to proceed.

Like OCSO claimed, FOX23 also witnessed tribal police circling the county jail on Wednesday evening hours after the incident.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Office told FOX23 they are in contact with the Muscogee Nation’s attorney general about how to possibly proceed, and a spokesperson for Governor Kevin Stitt’s Office said they are monitoring the situation as well.