Roper Harris and the McCurtain County Jail: Where the Case Stands

On September 15, 2021, Roper Harris was booked into the McCurtain County Jail in Idabel. What happened to him that night is now part of the federal court record, and the account did not come from us. It came from men who worked at the jail.

Two Guilty Pleas

In July 2026, former jail shift supervisor Joe Ebert pleaded guilty in federal court to a civil rights conspiracy charge arising from what happened to Roper that night. In September 2025, Cody Johnson, a former jail employee who had been a defendant in Roper's lawsuit, pleaded guilty in federal court to a civil rights conspiracy charge of his own.

In his plea agreement, Ebert admitted that he struck Roper three times in the face in the booking-area shower, hard enough to knock him to the ground, without legal justification. He admitted that he then placed Roper in a cell block with an inmate who had been promised a commissary reward for assaulting him, and that the inmate assaulted Roper and injured him. Ebert also admitted that he later gave false statements to state investigators.

The Former Jail Administrator

A federal grand jury has indicted Scott McLain, who ran the jail at the time, on related charges. McLain has not been convicted of anything. He is presumed innocent, and his trial is set for February.

Roper's Civil Case

Roper's own lawsuit, Harris v. McCurtain County Jail Trust, is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. It seeks to hold the jail trust, the county and individual officers accountable under federal civil rights law. Chris Camp and I represent him.

A criminal plea and a civil lawsuit answer different questions. The pleas establish what the men who entered them admitted they did. The civil case asks who is answerable for what happened to Roper, and what he is owed. That will be decided in court on the evidence.

If you or someone you love was hurt in a county jail or by a law enforcement officer, call Garrett Law at (918) 221-6190. These cases turn on their facts, and deadlines apply.

For the full picture of our three McCurtain County jail cases, read After Kill. Bury. Print.

Related: Oklahoma civil rights attorney; Hurt or Killed in an Oklahoma County Jail: What Families Should Know; Garrett Law in the News. To talk about your own situation, request a free consultation.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.