Prosecutor: Inmates Were Forced to Listen to 'Baby Shark'

3 former employees have been charged
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 6, 2020 1:15 PM CDT

Two former Oklahoma jail employees and their supervisor face misdemeanor cruelty charges after investigators found they forced inmates to stand handcuffed for hours and listen to the children's song “Baby Shark" on repeat, a prosecutor said Monday. At least four inmates were secured to a wall with their hands cuffed behind them while the song played on a loop at a loud volume for hours, the Oklahoman reported. Vice cites investigators as having called the situation "inhuman." The separate incidents occurred in November and December, according to court records. The misdemeanor charges were filed Monday against former Oklahoma County jail employees Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles, both 21, and their supervisor, Christopher Raymond Hendershott, 50.

"It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario,” Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said, per the AP. “I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior.” Butler and Miles are accused of imposing the discipline and Hendershott is accused of knowing about it but not stopping it. Sheriff PD Taylor said Monday that Butler and Miles resigned during an internal investigation and that Hendershott retired. “We don’t tolerate it,” Taylor said of the mistreatment. “We always did an excellent job policing ourselves.” The “Baby Shark” song gained huge popularity two years ago after the company Pinkfong released its first video online. The video has since been viewed more than 6.5 billion times.

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