Jesse Knight a former Oklahoma County detention officer is charged with the death of an inmate (Gabriel Yalartai), who was found hanging in his cell. The said Inmate was assigned to the 12th floor of the jail because of his mental health issues.

Knight was fired in December after charges were filed against him for neglect while on duty. According to records Knight was supposed to conduct a routine welfare check on the inmate but was never done.

According to Investigators: Knight left his assigned post for 3 hours from midnight on December 26, 2021. The report went further to states that he left again, then returned thirty minutes later at 3:45 a.m. Then, while attempting to serve breakfast, at 4:21 a.m. investigators said Kight found the inmate “with known declining health issues” hanging dead from an air vent. 

Court Records shows that Knight “forged the logbooks by handwriting in the sight checks which had not occurred.”