Tony Maurice Becknell Jr.: He is one of at least 48 people who were freed or had cases modified because of rights violations or other issues.
Another lawsuit was filed against the city this week by a man who was freed from custody following an investigation into corruption within the Tulsa Police Department.
Tony Maurice Becknell Jr., 33, claims in the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Tulsa County District Court, that the city had a policy of failing to monitor and supervise officers such as Jeff Henderson, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in 2011 of six counts of perjury and two counts of civil rights violations that a jury found he committed while was a Tulsa police officer.
His lawsuit claims that the city of Tulsa created an environment in which police officers "were able to freely and without fear of discipline violate the rights of the citizens."
Last July, U.S. District Judge James Payne ordered Becknell freed from custody in a federal drug case in which he had been sentenced in October 2005 to 15 years and nine months in prison.
Becknell became one of at least 48 people who were freed from prison or had their cases modified because of civil rights violations or issues stemming from the police corruption probe.
In his lawsuit, Becknell alleges that an affidavit Henderson submitted to support a search warrant in Becknell's criminal case "was a complete sham, fabrication and had no basis in fact or truth."
Becknell "languished in prison for over six years" after pleading guilty in order to avoid the risk of receiving an even lengthier prison sentence if he had been convicted at trial, the lawsuit says.
"He was deprived (of) his freedom, liberty and suffered significant emotional distress, humiliation, degradation and embarrassment as a result of living a significant portion of his life behind bars," the complaint states.
On Feb. 27, Payne held Henderson in contempt of court for false testimony that the court found Henderson gave on June 29, 2012, in Becknell's case, which was being considered for post-conviction relief. As punishment, Payne added three months to Henderson's original 42-month prison sentence.
After Henderson identified a man he claimed was an informant upon whom he had relied in his investigation of Becknell years earlier, Becknell's attorney proved that the man had been incarcerated in the Tulsa Jail at that time and could not have been used as an informant when Henderson said he was.
Payne found that "Henderson testified falsely with intent to obstruct the administration of justice."
Becknell's lawsuit is at least the 17th filed by people who claim that they were victimized by the sort of activity that was the subject of a grand jury probe into the Tulsa Police Department. The investigation resulted in charges against six current or former Tulsa police officers and an ex-federal agent, as well as accusations of criminal behavior against five officers who were never charged.
The city has been dismissed as a party from several of those lawsuits. However, U.S. District Judge Tim Leonard has set a Jan. 21 trial date in a case filed by Bobby Wayne Haley Sr.
On June 4, Leonard found that Haley "presented sufficient evidence that, if believed by a jury, would support a finding of deliberate indifference to the need for training (of officers) on civil rights matters and for additional oversight of the search warrant process."
Besides Henderson and the city of Tulsa, Becknell's lawsuit also named various "John Doe" officers and former Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer as defendants.
Becknell alleges in his lawsuit that the city and Palmer knew that Henderson "disregarded or otherwise did not follow departmental policy, rules and regulations and willfully and intentionally refused to undertake the necessary remedial efforts to protect the citizens of Tulsa from him."
Henderson, who has appealed both his 2011 conviction and the contempt ruling, is scheduled to be released on Oct. 25, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
David Harper 918-581-8359
david.harper@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Ex-inmate files latest police suit
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