A man has died after being found hanging in his Cleveland County jail cell

Jana Hayes, Oklahoman
·2 min read
The Cleveland County Detention Center, pictured Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at 2550 W Franklin Road in Norman, is run by the Cleveland County sheriff's office.
The Cleveland County Detention Center, pictured Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at 2550 W Franklin Road in Norman, is run by the Cleveland County sheriff's office.

A third person has died in as many months while being detained in the Cleveland County Detention Center, according to jail officials.

Joe Allen Sims Jr., 44, was found by jail staff around 4:46 p.m. Friday, unresponsive and "hanging with a cloth wrapped around his neck," according to a press release. Staff and medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but Sims Jr. was not revived.

The Cleveland County Sherriff's Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are conducting a joint investigation, while the Medical Examiner's Office will determine an official cause of death.

This is the first Cleveland County jail death since officials resigned following December deaths

Items left outside the Cookie Cottage are pictured during a candlelight vigil for Shannon Hanchett in Norman, Okla., Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. Shannon Hanchett, a local bakery owner and longtime mental health advocate, died at the Cleveland County jail early Thursday.
Items left outside the Cookie Cottage are pictured during a candlelight vigil for Shannon Hanchett in Norman, Okla., Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. Shannon Hanchett, a local bakery owner and longtime mental health advocate, died at the Cleveland County jail early Thursday.

Sims Jr. is the first person to die while being detained in the Cleveland County jail this year, spokesman Hunter McKee said, though the jail came under fire in December following the death of two female detainees.

Two high-ranking jail officials, Cleveland County Detention Chief Deputy Scott Sedbrook and Major Dennis Hansen, resigned the week of Jan. 9. There were no reasons given for the resignations, McKee told The Oklahoman at the time. Both resignation letters were accepted by Sheriff Chris Amason and were effective immediately.

Shannon Hanchett, 38, died Dec. 8 after being found unresponsive in her jail cell. Known locally as Norman's "Cookie Queen," Hanchett was arrested Nov. 26 after exhibiting behavior police described as “consistent with some type of mental health disorder,” court records show. She was being held in the jail on misdemeanor charges of making false calls to 911 and obstructing an officer.

Kathryn Milano, 66, was pronounced dead Dec. 20, after she suffered "a medical emergency related to pre-existing conditions" and was taken to a local hospital, according to county officials. Milano had been held in the jail on charges of burglary the previous month and had also been arrested twice in November for violating a protective order filed by family members.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cleveland County jail detainee found dead, hanging in his cell