Why were
institutional charges never filed against Jerry when he jumped on the
security major of OSP and pulled him to the ground?
April 1987 Bobby Boone, Security Major, arrived on D Block, Oklahoma
State Penitentiary along with a troop of officers to quell a disturbance.
Prisoners were smashing the windows of their cell doors and threatening
prison officers. Many had been involved one way or another in the riot
of 85. They’d already been on hunger strike in a failed attempt
to bring attention to the months of harassment and mistreatment they’d
been enduring.
On this night in April, several cell doors were opened one by one. Jerry
was listening to events as they were unfolding. He heard the orders
given to “cuff up” and as each prisoner walked out of his
cell in handcuffs he received a severe beating.
They stopped at Jerry’s cell, he too was given the orders to “cuff
up” but he refused. He’d not taken place in the disturbance
and two D Block officers confirmed that this was correct. Boone refused
listen to them. Jerry knew they were going to beat him so he made a
decision to fight.
When the cell door was opened, he ran at Boone, jumped on him and pulled
him to the ground. The buttons on Boone’s shirt were pulled clean
off. Jerry was dragged off of Boone; he was handcuffed, beaten and taken
to the rock with the others.
(See news article below)
In March 2009, I sent an open records request to Janie Hartzel at the
Internal Affairs office of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections requesting
a copy of the charges that must surely have been filed against Jerry
for such a serious offence. She forwarded my request to the office of
the General Counsel.
The executive secretary replied stating that there was no record in
Jerry’s file of any misconduct for April 27, 1987? This was a
significant and serious event that was reported upon by the media and
the whole incident was filmed. The DOC stated that institutional charges
would definitely be filed and a report sent to the district attorney
for possible criminal proceedings.
Yet nothing ever happened? The whole incident seems to have been covered
up? This is because the decisions and actions of security major Bobby
Boone that night infringed prison policies and procedures as well as
the law.