“I believe in doing the right thing and I am not going to stand down from doing the right thing,' Nowata County Sheriff Terry Sue Barnett said as she announced her resignation on Monday.
By Antonia Noori Farzan Antonia Noori Farzan Reporter for Morning Mix Email Bio Follow March 20 at 7:11 AM On Monday afternoon, Nowata County Sheriff Terry Sue Barnett stood before a hastily gathered crowd of reporters and made a shocking announcement: She had handed in her resignation, as had the county’s undersheriff, all of the deputies, most of the jail staff and the head dispatcher.
“Instead of looking for solutions, many would prefer to hope and pray that nothing would happen,” she said. “Today, as I leave this office . . . I, too, hope and pray that nothing happens, that our prisoners remain safe wherever they are and our employees remain safe. But I will not sweep these things under the carpet.”
Nowata is the third poorest county in Oklahoma, with a total operating budget of less than $1 million, according to KJRH. Faced with an extreme staffing shortage, Barnett recruited volunteers to help out with administrative tasks and asked neighboring departments to provide extra manpower.
An ultimatum from a judge ended up being the last straw for Barnett. At Monday’s news conference, she said that Nowata County Associate District Judge Carl Gibson had threatened to hold her in contempt of court if she did not reopen the jail. Ever since the carbon monoxide leak, inmates had been housed in a different county, which Gibson contended was too expensive, Barnett said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Escaped Missouri inmate steals police car from Oklahoma officers trying to recapture himPolice arrested the inmate after a woman reported that he kidnapped her but later discovered that she was an alleged accomplice in his escape from jail.
Read more »
Los Angeles sheriffs investigating kidnapping find music video shoot instead
Read more »
Never-Trumpers assess his mental health: 'His condition is getting worse'The president's 29-tweet Sunday raises eyebrows.
Read more »
Trapped in Tijuana: Migrants face a long, dangerous wait to claim asylumTrapped in Tijuana: Migrants face a long, dangerous wait to claim asylum “If I continue to stay here, I am going to be killed,” said a mother of 2 from Honduras, who spent 2 months waiting in Tijuana to cross into the US.
Read more »
George Conway suggests Mike Pence, Donald Trump's Cabinet consider 25th Amendment for president's 'mental condition'The lawyer and husband of Kellyanne Conway tweeted that all Americans should be seriously thinking about President Donald Trump's 'mental condition and psychological state.'
Read more »
George Conway: President Trump's 'condition is getting worse'Kellyanne Conway's husband, George Conway, questioned President Trump's mental fitness for office after the president posted a series of Twitter attacks over the weekend. When asked about her husband's concerns over the president's mental state, the counselor to the president said, 'No, I don't share those concerns.' Watch MSNBC's Chris Jansing and the panel weigh in.
Read more »
Perspective | Why Donald Trump’s response to the New Zealand shooting is dangerousA lack of vigilance from our leaders could result in white nationalism re-entering the cultural mainstream.
Read more »