November 28, 2017
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
Beckham County is negotiating a settlement for the care of a former jail inmate that’s been on life support for almost a year. The county claims that he was released from the county’s care soon after he was taken to the hospital and that’s when their financial responsibility for the man ended.
55-year-old Russell Dumlao of Reno, Nevada, the man who was “severely physically assaulted” at the Beckham County jail last December 8 when he sustained life-threatening injures inflicted by another inmate. He was taken to OU Medical Center where he’s been hospitalized ever since.
Dumlao had been arrested a couple weeks earlier, on November 22, 2016, in Sayre in connection with the death of Jerry Essary after authorities found Essary’s burned body at the scene of a house fire at 209 South Broadway Street.
Dumlao was charged for that crime a year ago tomorrow, November 29, but the charge was dismissed by the District Prosecuting Attorney last January following Dumlao’s traumatic brain injury and poor prognosis for recovery. Technically speaking, he’s medically alive in a coma.
At the time, Angela Marsee wrote in the request to dismiss the charges that she would refile them if his condition ever improves. It hasn’t and probably won’t.
Marsee, who is representing Beckham County, is negotiating for the balance of the medical bill after the county dropped the charges on January 4 against Dumlao, who was, at the time, an inmate.
However, Dumlao is still a patient at OU Medical Center and still incurring expenses.
The medical facility has submitted invoices to the county for payment.
Dumlao was arrested November 23, 2016 on complaints of first degree murder, first degree arson, kidnapping and possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction in Sayre.
-30 –