OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A recent state inspection and recorded jail phone calls from a former inmate are offering two perspectives on conditions inside the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

An unannounced inspection conducted May 5 by the Oklahoma State Department of Health found the jail was “not in substantial compliance” with multiple standards, citing deficiencies involving staffing, inmate safety, sanitation, food service, maintenance, and medical reporting.

At the same time, FOX 25 obtained recorded phone calls made by former inmate Brent Swadley while he was being held at the jail awaiting sentencing after his fraud conviction. Swadley has since been transferred to another facility.

The inspection provides an official snapshot of conditions inside the jail. Swadley’s recorded calls provide one inmate’s firsthand account.

The Health Department’s inspection identified numerous concerns throughout the facility.

Among the findings:

• Just seven detention officers were assigned to supervise 1,502 inmates on the day of the inspection.
• Inspectors found 2,471 required inmate safety checks had not been documented.
• Investigators cited sanitation concerns, including grime, pooled liquid, damaged flooring in the kitchen and dirty mop buckets stored near food preparation areas.
• The report found deficiencies involving food service and adequate diet.
• Inspectors documented multiple inmates sleeping on the floor because of insufficient beds.
• Investigators also found several instances where inmates required outside medical treatment but the Health Department was not notified as required.

In recorded calls obtained by FOX 25, Swadley described what he says he experienced while housed at the jail.

“It ain’t good people here that’s the problem at all,” Swadley said in one call. “It’s the rules and the policies and the mindset that they’re forced to adapt.”

In another call, he expressed sympathy for detention staff.

“I say all the times to the staff, the nurses, the guards… I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how they put up with, I mean, literally honey, this would break your heart if you saw it and witnessed these inmates treat them like crap,” he said.

While inspectors documented sanitation concerns throughout the facility, Swadley described additional conditions he says he witnessed, including mice, maggots and odors he compared to an animal kennel. Those specific allegations were not documented in the state inspection report.

The inspection also found deficiencies involving food service. In multiple recorded calls, Swadley described being served cold meals.

“The grits and everything came… it was cold, like room temperature,” he said. “They need so much help in there.”

He also complained about the nutritional quality of the meals.

“We don’t get any dairy of any kind. No milk, no nothing. And of course, no fresh fruit or vegetables at all,” Swadley said in another call.

Along with suffering a severe injury to his finger after getting stuck in a jail door, Swadley described other health concerns while incarcerated, including elevated blood pressure and an incident in which he said he passed out after visiting the jail’s medical unit.

In another series of calls, Swadley described hearing a mentally ill inmate scream for hours overnight and said the experience left him wanting to comfort the man.

“I just want to go up there and give him a hug,” Swadley said. “Even God loves you.”

He also described the challenges unique to county jails, where inmates are constantly arriving and leaving while awaiting trial.

“They’ve got so many people moving in and out of here so quick that you don’t know what’s up or down,” he said.

Despite his criticisms, Swadley repeatedly said he believes conditions could improve.

“They have the capability of making this place effective,” he said.

FOX 25 asked both the Oklahoma County Detention Center and the Oklahoma State Department of Health about the inspection findings and the conditions described in Swadley’s recorded calls.

Jail officials declined to comment on Swadley’s time at the facility, citing a court order.

“With respect to the comments attributed to Mr. Swadley, we are under a court order not to discuss or release any information on Mr. Swadley’s time in the facility,” Oklahoma County Detention Center Communications Director Mark Opgrande said in a statement.

Regarding the inspection, Opgrande said the detention center is preparing a comprehensive response for the Health Department but is “not in a position to comment on specific findings, corrective actions, staffing, or operational matters related to the inspection at this time.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Health told FOX 25 it has not conducted a follow-up inspection since May and therefore cannot determine whether any deficiencies have been corrected.

Agency spokesman Erica Rankin also said Oklahoma law does not require detention facilities to submit corrective action plans following an inspection.

According to the Health Department, inspectors will review previously cited deficiencies during the jail’s next inspection, and any enforcement decisions will be based on the results of that review and the agency’s statutory authority.

The Oklahoma County Detention Center continues to undergo renovations while county officials move forward with plans for a replacement jail facility.

The Oklahoma Sooners will face a difficult challenge trying to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026. That road starts on Sept. 4 against the UTEP Miners.

After the season opener, Oklahoma’s schedule quickly becomes one of the most difficult in college football. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), which is designed to project a team’s future performance, ranks Oklahoma’s schedule as the second-toughest in the country behind only the Arkansas Razorbacks.

That challenging schedule is one of the reasons some analysts remain skeptical of Oklahoma heading into the 2026 season. The FPI predicts a 7-5 season for the Sooners. However, On3’s J.D. PicKell believes Oklahoma has the talent to overcome its schedule and remain one of the nation’s best teams.

“The schedule is brutal,” PicKell said. “The schedule was brutal last year. You had a quarterback with nine fingers and no run game. Find your way to the College Football Playoff. I’m going down with the ship here. I think Oklahoma is going to be a wagon once again.”

Oklahomans are reacting to a nearly $44 million settlement between the state and six poultry companies, with a Creek County farmer warning of statewide impacts and an environmental group calling the deal a win for the watershed.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced the settlement Monday, resolving a lawsuit over poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.

Farmer worried about statewide impact

Matt Barton is a fifth-generation farmer in Oilton. He doesn’t live near the Illinois River Watershed, but he’s worried the new settlement could affect farmers across the state.

“It doesn’t have to be the Illinois watershed with the current settlement. It says any at-risk watershed. And anyone can define a watershed as at-risk at any time,” Barton said.

Barton isn’t a poultry farmer, but he uses poultry litter as fertilizer, and says it’s hard to beat.

“It’s much better for the soil, much better for growth. It lasts three years compared to one year with commercial fertilizer,” Barton said.

Rising fertilizer costs add to concerns

Barton says at a time when alternative fertilizer prices are going up, he’s worried the new regulation could have a downstream effect that hurts rural farmers.

Regular fertilizer prices have climbed due to conflicts overseas, making chicken litter even more cost-effective by comparison, Barton says.

“We love the idea of using an all-natural product that’s processed through another animal, to use to feed our animals with growth from the land,” Barton said.

Environmental group sees settlement differently

The group Save the Illinois River sees the settlement differently. In a statement, the group said clean water and agriculture can coexist, and that the settlement will finally allow people to start removing the pollution after nearly two decades of fighting in court.

“Save the Illinois River, Inc. (STIR) is pleased to see that the State of Oklahoma and all of the Defendants have reached a settlement in the long-standing lawsuit involving poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. We have continued to believe that a comprehensive settlement would be beneficial to the community at-large, the environment and water quality in the watershed, our local farmers and agricultural growers, and the settling defendants. We have continually stressed that clean water and agriculture interests can co-exist for the benefit of all. We commend the Oklahoma Attorney General’s pursuit of this decades old lawsuit and Judge Gregory Frizzel’s well-reasoned opinion on behalf of Oklahoma’s most prized scenic waters. We also commend the defendants in the lawsuit for recognizing their corporate responsibility in reaching a settlement. Most importantly, as we continue to analyze the terms of the settlement, we hope and trust that this process will lead to the remediation of previous pollution and that the restoration of impaired waters can immediately begin. STIR has advocated for greater protection for the waters in the Illinois River Watershed. The United States District Court’s Judgment offered that protection. We look forward to seeing if the Court will approve the proposed settlement.”

Barton says farmers care about the land just as much.

“No one’s going to take better care of the land than the guy who has to feed his family from that land,” Barton said.

Lawmaker cautiously optimistic

State Rep. David Hardin, a former poultry farmer who represents part of the Illinois River Watershed in the House, said he’s cautiously optimistic about the settlement but says it remains to be seen what impact it will have once implemented.

What’s next

The state still has to formally set aside a previous December judgment and dismiss the lawsuit before the settlement takes effect.

Previous Stories:

Oklahoma reaches $44 million settlement in poultry waste lawsuit
‘Please don’t let our way of life die’: Gov. Stitt hears from poultry producers in Adair County
Stitt to meet with state poultry producers amid waste runoff lawsuit
Federal judge approves poultry lawsuit settlement between Tulsa and 6 poultry producers