Before deadly shootout and manhunt, Kameron Jenkins was released in jail mix-up
Months before a deadly shootout in southern Oklahoma, Kameron Jenkins had been locked up in Texas.
Jenkins, 25, was held for more than a month in the Dallas County jail, records show. He was waiting a return to Oklahoma County to face a felony prostitution charge.
Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies never came.
He was let out of the Dallas County jail at 9:59 a.m. July 10, the records show. The official reason was noted as "Released per Agency Pick Time Expired." He had been there since June 4.
Why a wanted man was free Oct. 4 has become a frustrating footnote to the tragedy that unfolded during a traffic stop at an Interstate 35 exit.
One person killed, deputy injured in shooting that led to weeklong manhunt in Cleveland County
The shootout began after Jenkins was forced to a stop that morning by a Cleveland County sheriff's deputy near Wynnewood, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent reported.
The deputy, Sean Steadman, was shot in the chin and Jenkins fled on foot, the OSBI agent reported in a court affidavit. Killed during the exchange of gunfire was a passenger in a dump truck traveling north on I-35.
The victim, Gwaun Frierson, was struck by a bullet, according to the court affidavit.
The deputy, part of a three-county drug taskforce, is recovering. Jenkins was found dead Tuesday under heavy brush during a search of the area around the shooting scene.
More: Authorities revealing little about the manhunt for and death of man accused of shooting deputy
Investigators believe he died from a self-inflicted gunshot, the state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Eric Pfeifer, confirmed Thursday.
Dallas police arrested Jenkins June 4 on outstanding Oklahoma warrants, a Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. "He was supposed to be picked up by OK but he never was."
Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies did not pick him up when first notified because he hadn't been charged yet, public information officer Aaron Brilbeck said.
The office was following an April 7, 2022, directive from David Prater, then Oklahoma County's district attorney, Brilbeck said.
Jenkins was charged, though, on June 14, well before he was released.
Why Oklahoma County officials did not pick up Kameron Jenkins from Dallas jail
Oklahoma County sheriff deputies did not pick him up after that because they were never notified again, the sheriff's office said Friday.
Dallas County never called back and told deputies that he was now being held on a felony charge, the office said.
Under the law, a suspect cannot be extradited back to Oklahoma until formally charged.
Prater, who retired in January, said deputies actually were supposed to contact his office whenever they were notified of an out-of-state arrest. He said a charge then could be filed quickly, if the investigating agency, such as the Oklahoma City police, got prosecutors the necessary paperwork.
He said sometimes it turned out police had decided not to pursue charges after all so no trip was necessary.
More: Authorities revealing little about the manhunt for and death of man accused of shooting deputy
Oklahoma City police jailed Jenkins on May 23 during a prostitution sting, court records show. He paid a bail bondsman $175 to post his $1,000 bond and got out two days later.
Police sought an arrest warrant that same day to bring him in again after listening to his jail phone calls. A special judge agreed and set bail at $25,000.
He was charged June 14 in Oklahoma County District Court with two felony counts accusing him of inducing a woman into prostitution and using a computer in a crime.
District Judge Cindy Truong set bail this time at $250,000 after prosecutors told her he had a lengthy criminal record.
Because his bail was so high, he likely would have still been in the Oklahoma County jail until trial had he been brought back.
What charges did Kameron Jenkins face?
Oklahoma City police revealed in a court affidavit that he was suspected of running a prostitution ring that used commercial sex internet sites to attract customers.
He made reference in a call from the Oklahoma County jail to "all his 'girls' being posted on these sites," a vice officer wrote in the affidavit.
The vice officer also indicated that Jenkins was a suspect in a recent homicide.
Jenkins acknowledged to police during the prostitution sting that he had recently got out of prison. He was released March 31, Oklahoma Department of Corrections records show.
After the shootout, he was charged in Garvin County District Court with felony murder.
He also was charged with shooting with intent to kill, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
"Kameron Jenkins is a historically violent and dangerous man," a prosecutor wrote in a request that he be held without bond on the murder charge.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Mix-up led to Kameron Jenkin's release from jail before Oklahoma shootout
