Who Owns the Inmate Transport? | Oklahoma City News

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III is locked in a legal showdown over who’s legally responsible for transporting inmates to court — and the stakes are high. His team argues that state law mandates the jail trust to handle all sheriff duties if it takes on any, including transport, and that its founding document can’t be used to dodge this obligation. The jail trust counters that their contract only required payment for the service — which ended when the sheriff canceled it in May — but they insist the duty still belongs to the sheriff. While the county budget board recently approved reimbursing the sheriff for transport costs, the core legal battle rages on, directly challenging Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s opinion that the sheriff must perform these transports. The sheriff’s attorneys argue the trust can’t cherry-pick responsibilities or use loopholes to avoid statutory duties, insisting the trust either fully assumes jail operations or not at all — and that trying to opt out undermines the law’s intent. Ultimately, the sheriff seeks a judge’s ruling declaring the trust’s exemption clause void, to ensure clear accountability, courthouse security, and constitutional rights are upheld. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/08e44fc37c330025