Former Inmates Forced To Listen To 'Baby Shark' For Hours Sue Jail Officers

Three former inmates have sued former jailers of the Oklahoma City jail as well as several government agencies after they were forced to listen to the song "Baby Shark" at high volumes on several occasions during their detention two years ago, court documents showed.

Daniel Hedrick, Joseph Mitchell and John Basco were forced to stand in one of the Oklahoma City jail's attorney visitation rooms while handcuffed and secured to a wall, newspaper The Oklahoman reported, citing a civil rights lawsuit representing the former inmates filed in the Oklahoma City federal court Monday.

The action, which is "a well-known 'enhanced interrogation' or torture tactic," happened on several occasions — with some sessions lasting for as long as four hours, the suit stated, according to The Kansas City Star.

Adding to the alleged torture, the children's song "Baby Shark" would be played at a "high volume" from a computer in an adjacent room while the men were still secured to the wall, the lawsuit indicated.

"The volume of the song was so loud that it was reverberating down the hallways," Mitchell was quoted as saying in the suit.

The song was played on a continuous loop for extended periods of time, according to an investigation.

Clinical psychologist John Mayer found the song can "elicit a painful reaction in the brain" with its high-pitched tones and "screechy sounds," the suit claimed.

"When you combine nonsensical words, insulting words and demeaning words with bad music, you have the perfect storm for a horrible song," Mayer was quoted as saying.

A criminal investigation last year determined at least four inmates were subjected to the alleged torture in November and December 2019, as per The Oklahoman.

The investigation resulted in former detention officers Christian Miles and Gregory Butler, along with supervisor Christopher Hendershott, being charged with misdemeanor cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy.

Hedrick, Mitchell and Basco are now suing the Oklahoma County sheriff, the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, the Board of County Commissioners for Oklahoma County and two former jail employees over the alleged torture.

The three were joined in the lawsuit by another former inmate, Ja'Lee Foreman Jr., who claimed detention officers handcuffed him to a bar behind his back and left him in that state for more than 90 minutes in November 2019. An officer also allegedly drove a knee into his back and spit on him when he was brought back to his cell.

The four inmates are seeking $75,000 plus interest from the date of the court filing.

The other former inmate involved in the alleged torture incidents, Brandon Newell, did not join the lawsuit as he was convicted of first-degree murder a month after the incidents and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sheriff's office, which was headed by then-Sheriff P.D. Taylor at the time of the alleged torture, no longer runs the jail.