Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 5 december 2017

Oklahoma halfway house contract canceled after inmate death

Oklahoma City-based Cat- contract for the men’s half-
alyst were not immediately way house in Oklahoma
returned. City.
Allbaugh said inmate Jus- Overall, Oklahoma hous-
tin Sullivan left the facility es about 1,250 men and
Nov. 11 and was not no- women in halfway houses,
ticed missing until after Ard- where inmates are allowed
more police found his and to leave the facilities for ap-
a woman’s burned bodies proved purposes, like going
in a charred vehicle. Po- to work, finding a job or at-
lice are investigating the tending church.
deaths as homicides. “We’re not given enough
Another inmate walked money to run halfway hous-
away from the facility and es ourselves, so we have to
was arrested four days later rely on contractors to pro-
in Tulsa for armed robbery, vide this service,” Allbaugh
Allbaugh said. said.
Most of the 106 inmates Catalyst is one of four com-
housed at Catalyst’s Okla- panies that operate half-
homa City halfway house way houses under con-
loaded up their belongings tracts with Oklahoma, DOC
Inmates load a bus with belongings as Oklahoma Department of Correction inmates are moved on Monday and were be- spokesman Matt Elliott said.
out of the Invahoe and Cameo halfway houses operated by Catalyst Behavioral Services in ing transferred to other fa- Oklahoma’s prison system
Oklahoma City, Okla. on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. cilities in the Oklahoma City has struggled for years
(Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman via AP) area, Allbaugh said. About with overcrowded and di-
By SEAN MURPHY head of Oklahoma’s prison “The department has been, a dozen will be sent to a fa- lapidated prisons, many of
Associated Press system said Monday. for years, at wits’ end on cility in Alva. which were originally de-
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Catalyst Behavioral Servic- corralling our halfway hous- Catalyst receives $32.50 signed as hospitals or youth
Lax oversight of inmates at es did not conduct inmate es,” Allbaugh said. “We are per inmate per day and homes.
a halfway house in Okla- counts properly, allowed failing at re-entry and this is also operates a women’s Allbaugh last month told
homa City, including one inmates to come and go the first step to instill more halfway house in Enid, state lawmakers he wants
inmate whose charred re- without accountability accountability in our half- although Allbaugh said to triple the agency’s bud-
mains were discovered in a and didn’t have properly way house system as these that contract is not being get despite the ongoing
burned vehicle last month, trained staff, among other men and women return to ended. The state has con- state budget crisis to fund
led state prison officials to problems, said Department society.” tracted with Catalyst for 14 ongoing repairs and the
cancel its contract with of Corrections Director Joe Telephone and email mes- years, and last year spent construction of two new
the facility’s operator, the Allbaugh. sages left Monday with more than $1.5 million on its prisons.q

Officials: Man killed Salvation

Army worker, stole 4 vehicles

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man Army for several years and
accused of fatally shooting that he was a Bible study
a Salvation Army worker teacher there.
who was going out to col- Lurlene Johnson, who su-
lect money at one of the pervises the Salvation Army
charity’s kettles tried to get in Cleveland, said Plesec
away by carjacking four was a mentor to dozens of
vehicles before he was ar- teens.
rested, police said. “Jared meant the world to
A judge on Monday or- them. He for many of them
dered that William Jones, was the person who guid-
27, be held on a $5 million ed them, the person who
bond on aggravated mur- encouraged them, and
der and other charges. the person who listened to
Police said 21-year-old them,” Johnson said.
Jared Plesec was in his Sal- Police have not released
vation Army uniform and a motive for the shooting.
leaving the lobby of his Court records did not indi-
apartment complex Satur- cate whether Jones has an
day when Jones shot him attorney.
in the head at close range. Investigators said Jones ran
A spokesman for the char- away from the apartment
ity said Plesec was a youth building after the shooting,
worker with the organiza- pulled a 68-year-old wom-
tion and that he died with an from her car and sped
a Bible in his hands. off. He stole three more
Friends told Cleveland me- cars, police said, and shot
dia outlets that Plesec had a woman in the leg during
worked with the Salvation one carjacking.q