Authorities have confirmed that an inmate died Thursday morning at the Cleveland County Jail. The inmate was identified as Alex Wright, 34. In March, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control arrested Wright on a firearms complaint and drug trafficking complaints. He was scheduled to be formally arraigned in Cleveland County District Court later this month.
The investigation into Wright’s death is in its early stages. The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigate the case.
Wright was taken to the state medical examiner’s office, where his cause of death will be determined.
In a news release, Cleveland County Communications Director Storme Jones said the Board of Commissioners is saddened by the loss of life at the detention center and “while they recognize that inmate populations are generally at higher risk than the average population, they believe there are preventable loss of life unacceptable.”
Wright’s death is one of several fatalities recently at the Cleveland County Jail.
In August, authorities said Daniel Edward Freeman, 58, died at an area hospital after an apparent suicide attempt in jail.
Cleveland County officials recently hired a consultant to investigate inmate deaths at the jail and look at the policies of health care provider Turn Key Health.
SIMCO Correctional Consulting LLC, specializes in investigating jail and prison operations and security protocols. The county will pay the consultant a retainer of $3,000, plus $350 per hour to conduct the study, according to SIMCO’s contract.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSBI to investigate another death at the Cleveland County Jail
