Jail Inmate Charged With Damaging Cell

James Paul Cripps

A Sallisaw man being held at the Sequoyah County Jail was charged with malicious injury to property (under $1,000) after he reportedly destroyed a sprinkler inside his cell.

James Paul Cripps, 22, had reportedly broken the sprinkler head, causing his cell to flood.

Because Cripps had open sores on his body, officers had to put on gloves to deal with him. They moved in to extract Cripps from his cell and he was then placed on the ground in rear-facing handcuffs that were double-locked. He was then escorted to the jail’s booking area, where he was placed in a restraint chair for about 20 minutes.

Cripps was then removed from the chair and was decontaminated in the booking room’s shower. He was placed in another cell for safekeeping. 

A short time later, an officer opened Cripps’ new cell and found him bleeding from his arm. He reportedly had cut himself with the orange spork that was issued to him for eating.

Cripps was then placed on suicide watch because of his cutting and statements he’d made to officers that “it would be a lot easier if you just shot me in the head.” He was returned to the restraint chair, where he was taken out every two hours to walk around and circulation checks were done on him every 15 minutes.

Cripps is due in court at 9 a.m. July 22.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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