Cleveland County jail inmate dies after 'medical episode' Saturday; second death in weeks

A Cleveland County jail inmate died Saturday after a medical episode, jail officials say.

According to a news release, 58-year-old Thomas Sanchez Pesina died at Norman Regional Hospital shortly after noon.

During in-person sight checks earlier that morning, "no issues were detected in the pod with either Pesina or any of the other inmates present," the release stated, also noting that Pesina was interacting with his cellmate earlier in the day and he ate a meal served at 10:20 a.m.

At 11:35 a.m., a medical alert was issued for Pesina, who was unresponsive. Pesina was transported to Norman Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Medical staff found no signs of physical trauma to Pesina's body. The medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death, which has not been released.

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation and requested support from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The news release said more information will be available after the investigation is complete.

Inmate awaiting transfer to Vinita for nearly a year before death

Pesnia was booked into the jail on May 21, 2023, after he was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication.

He was found incompetent to stand trial during an August 2023 hearing and has been waiting since then for transfer to the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita.

The center is the state's only facility treating mentally incompetent defendants and has a long history of issues with capacity and wait times.

In February, a judge found the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in contempt of court and fined the department $500 for each day a criminal defendant who needs treatment is left in jail.

The department has also been hit with a civil rights lawsuit and has been accused of contempt of court almost 200 times, The Oklahoman previously reported.

More: Why murder suspects are being released from mental facilities in Oklahoma

Death one of several at Cleveland County jail in recent years

Pesina's death comes after a federal lawsuit was filed in January against the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, Turn Key Health Clinics and three medical professionals for allegedly contributing to the death of Shannon Hanchett, who died in the detention center's custody on Dec. 8, 2022.

Hanchett, 38, was affectionately known as the Cookie Queen as she ran a bakery in downtown Norman. She was arrested at an AT&T store on Nov. 26, 2022, on a complaint of misdemeanor obstruction and false reporting.

During booking, Hanchett told jail staff she suffered from bipolar disorder and lupus. According to the lawsuit, medical staff did not evaluate Hanchett for more than 72 hours after arriving at the jail and did not administer any psychotropic medications.

While medical staff reported that Hanchett displayed suicidal ideation and was severely dehydrated, jailers routinely missed 15-minute sight checks required under state law.

On Dec. 7, 2022, jail staff found Hanchett unresponsive on the floor of her jail cell. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and Hanchett was pronounced dead around 1 a.m. on Dec. 8.

A state medical examiner’s report determined Hanchett died of heart failure with significant contributing factors of psychosis with auditory and visual hallucinations and severe dehydration. The lawsuit claims Turn Key Health Clinics’ contract with the sheriff’s office disincentivized staff from seeking more urgent care.

Two weeks later on Dec. 20, Kathryn Milano, 66, died in custody after suffering a medical emergency "related to pre-existing medical conditions," according to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

On Feb. 25, 2023, the detention center announced Joe Allen Sims Jr., 44, died by hanging while in the facility’s custody.

On April 19, 2024, William Kenneth Moore, 36, died at Norman Regional Hospital following a medical episode at the jail, according to jail officials.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cleveland County jail inmate dies after 'medical episode' Saturday