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Lawyers file amended lawsuit over Shannon Hanchett's prison death

Keaton Ross
| Oklahoma Clock

According to an amended complaint filed Sept. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, jail guards and staff at Cleveland County's Turn Key Health Clinics denied treatment, falsified records and mocked Shannon Hanchett when she fell into an ultimately fatal mental health crisis in late 2022.

The filing came weeks after U.S. District Judge Bernard Jones granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Shannon Hanchett's widower, Daniel Hanchett. On Aug. 19, he ruled there was insufficient evidence to show that prison staff were intentionally indifferent. In his ruling, Jones gave Daniel Hanchett's lawyers 21 days to file an amended complaint with new evidence.

The 73-page filing refers to video footage that is being kept secret from the public due to a federal protective order. It details how Hanchett's mental and physical health deteriorated when jail staff refused to treat him. Because county officials tried to deny access to the footage, the original complaint, filed in January, relied on medical records.

A Norman police officer arrested Hanchett, a 38-year-old mother of two who ran a popular bakery in downtown Norman, at an AT&T store on Nov. 26 for obstruction of public order.

More: Oklahoma County Jail Medical Provider Announces Discontinuation of Services

What happened to Shannon Hanchett? What the amended complaint says

Although the officer noted in his arrest report that Hanchett showed signs of mental illness, they took her to the Cleveland County Detention Center. Her family chose not to post her $1,000 bail because they feared she might be a danger to herself or others, according to an investigation by The Marshall Project and The Frontier.

Shortly before 8 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2022, prison staff locked Hanchett in a makeshift cell without a mattress, sink or toilet, the lawsuit says. Although the cells are designed to hold inmates for no more than a few hours during their transfer to the prison, Hanchett remained there for more than three days, according to the lawsuit.

In the days following her arrest, Hanchett paced the small cell, talked to herself for hours and refused to eat, the plaintiff claimed. The cell had a light on constantly and Hanchett did not sleep. According to the plaintiff, video footage shows her urinating on the cell floor at 4:57 p.m. on November 27, about 21 hours after she was locked in the cell.

More: Judge dismisses lawsuit after Norman baker Shannon Hanchett dies in custody

The lawsuit also states that prison guards periodically passed by with jugs of water but did not offer Hanchett any. A similar scene occurred several times over the next nine days, causing Hanchett to become severely dehydrated.

Late on the evening of Nov. 30, more than three days after she was admitted to the prison, staff removed Hanchett from cell B130 to make room for another inmate, the lawsuit says. Instead of moving Hanchett to a more permanent cell, staff returned her to the cell after she was admitted, the lawsuit says. It also alleges that prison staff did not open the door again for five days.

Hanchett's condition worsened day by day. According to the lawsuit, by Dec. 3, she could no longer sit alone. She spent most of her time in a catatonic state on the cell floor, in her own excrement and rotting food, the plaintiff said.

When prison staff entered Hanchett's cell around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 5, she was struggling to get up on her own, the lawsuit says. Several hours later, the lawsuit says, a Turn Key Health Services nurse forged a document stating that Hanchett had refused to have her vital signs taken.

On Dec. 6, more than a week after being admitted to prison, Hanchett met with a psychologist via video conference but was too weak to receive the phone call, the lawsuit says. The call ended after a few minutes.

On Dec. 7, as Hanchett's health was rapidly deteriorating, two Cleveland County Jail guards attempted to remove her from her cell, the lawsuit says. Hanchett was unresponsive and too weak to move herself. A jail guard grabbed Hanchett by the arms and dragged her naked down the length of a concrete hallway, the lawsuit says.

Despite being unable to move on her own, medical staff continued to refuse to take Hanchett to the hospital. Instead, she was taken to the prison infirmary, where she was taunted by staff and inmates, the complaint states.

“She cannot sit upright in the wheelchair, so they tilt the wheelchair backwards to keep her from falling out,” the lawsuit states. “Nurse Natasha Kariuki and Nurse Jewel Johnson appear to be making a joke and laughing as she walks past them. Even an inmate nearby joins in the laughter.”

At 9:17 p.m., less than three hours before her death, nurse Tara Doto texted that Hanchett had refused water. The lawsuit says the video footage does not show that exchange.

According to the lawsuit, prison officials discovered Hanchett unconscious shortly after midnight on Dec. 8, less than eight hours before a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A state medical examiner's report determined the cause of death to be heart failure, with psychosis and severe dehydration being major factors.

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The amended lawsuit seeks to hold Cleveland County and Turn Key Health Clinics officials liable for unconstitutional living conditions and willful indifference, said Daniel Smolen, a Tulsa-based civil rights attorney who represents Daniel Hanchett. Smolen alleges that financial incentives and a lack of staff training contributed to the deaths of several mentally ill inmates in prisons over the past decade who were cared for by Turn Key Health Clinics staff.

“She was treated really inhumanely,” said Smolen. “It [the video footage] really shows how preventable her death was.”

Jones had not set a deadline for the defendant to respond as of Tuesday afternoon. In previous filings, officials with Cleveland County and Turn Key Health Clinics claimed that medical personnel examined Hanchett on multiple occasions and contacted staff at Griffin Memorial Hospital to schedule a psychiatric evaluation. A related lawsuit challenging Oklahoma's handling of mental health issues in prisons is still pending. In March 2023, attorneys representing four plaintiffs deemed incompetent to stand trial filed a class action lawsuit claiming the state unconstitutionally allows mentally ill inmates to languish in prison while awaiting treatment. That case remains at an impasse as the Attorney General's Office and Gov. Kevin Stitt disagree on whether to settle.

Keaton Ross covers democracy and criminal justice for Oklahoma Watch. Reach him at (405) 831-9753 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @_KeatonRoss.

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