Oklahoma County to pay $275,000 to Black Woman Beaten & Made to Crawl by Detention Officers after DUI Arrest

From [HERE] Oklahoma County has agreed to pay $275,000 to a Black woman who was beaten up by jailers while being booked on a complaint of driving under the influence in 2003. Attorneys representing the county and Sheriff John Whetsel agreed in December to pay the money to Dionne A. McKinney. In exchange, she agreed to stop pursuing punitive damages for the incident. The settlement amount was officially filed at the court clerk's office on Tuesday.

McKinney alleged in court papers she was beaten without provocation by female officers in May 2003 while being booked into the Oklahoma County jail. Jurors found that she was assaulted by several officers after she asked to use the restroom.  McKinney, according to court papers, was placed in a holding cell and was taunted by officers. They ignored her requests for medical aid and made her crawl from her cell to a holding room on her hands and knees, the attorney said during the weeklong trial.

The officers slammed McKinney's head against a concrete wall and then threw her to the ground and kicked her. Her attorney said one of the officers rubbed McKinney's genitals when she was changing into orange coveralls, and then the officers made McKinney crawl from her cell to a holding room on her hands and knees.

Jurors on Dec. 17 found in favor of McKinney on two excessive-force claims against Whetsel, including negligent infliction of excessive force, and awarded her $39,000 in actual damages.

Jurors found in favor of McKinney on one of two identical claims against the Oklahoma County board of commissioners, but found in favor of Whetsel and the board on a third claim of failure to provide adequate medical care to McKinney.

Attorneys for Whetsel and the board accused McKinney of being uncooperative and of fabricating the incident in court. [MORE]