The popular children's song, "Baby Shark," was used as a torture method at the Oklahoma County Jail.
According to The Oklahoman, two former detention officers and their supervisor are facing charges after forcing at least four incarcerated people to listen to the song repeatedly at loud volumes.
The jail employees facing charges are Gregory Cornell Butler Jr., Christian Charles Miles and Christopher Raymond Hendershott. While Butler and Miles are accused of enforcing the torture, lieutenant Hendershott is charged with knowing about the crime and failing to take action.
According to The New York Times, the incident happened at least five times in November and December, with the employees torturing the individuals in an empty attorney visitation room separately. Investigators said the perpetrators handcuffed the incarcerated people against the wall and forced them to stand for hours while “Baby Shark” played on repeat through a computer. One of the incarcerated individuals was allegedly taken to the empty room at 3 a.m., while another also faced torture at 2 a.m.
After charging them with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner, corporal punishment and conspiracy, District Attorney David Prater said he would have preferred to file a felony.
"It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario," Prater said. "I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior."
Sheriff P.D. Taylor said Butler and Miles resigned during the internal investigation while the lieutenant retired.
"We don't tolerate it," the sheriff told The Oklahoman. "We always did an excellent job policing ourselves."
Investigators said Miles confessed the actions of the authorities, saying he and Butler worked together and used the attorney booth as a means to discipline inmates and teach them a lesson.
"They felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of the inmates," the affidavit stated. "The playing of the music was said to be a joke between Miles and Butler."
Butler and Miles are accused of causing emotional stress on the incarcerated individuals who were most likely already suffering from physical stressors after being handcuffed to the wall, according to the document.
Investigators said Hendershott didn't take any immediate action to either aid the inmate victim or discipline the officers upon learning about the mistreatment on Nov. 23.
"This appeared to have led to the officers continuing to mistreat inmates," the report stated.
Surveillance video showed the incarcerated individuals being held in the room as long as two hours.
"Additional incidents were brought to light following staff interviews, but were unable to be substantiated with video evidence and victims to support the claims," the investigation concluded.
"Baby Shark," which is loved by children, has received complaints from annoyed parents and other residents. Last year, the song was played at an event center in West Palm Beach, Florida to stop homeless people from sleeping in the area, The Times reported.
