Okmulgee County Inmate Pleads Guilty To Rioting In Federal Detention Facility

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced Jason Don Rowan, 38, entered a guilty plea on August 31, 2021, to Rioting in a Federal Detention Facility, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1792, 2, punishable by imprisonment for a period of up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, supervised release of not more than 3 years, and a special assessment fee in the amount of $100.00.

The Indictment alleged on or about April 12, 2021, an FBI Task Force Officer (TFO) received a report of a disturbance in the X-Pod at the Okmulgee County Jail.  The X-Pod houses Federal inmates in accordance with a contract between the U.S. Marshals Service and the Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority.

Upon arrival, the TFO was informed the disturbance was ongoing and escalated into a riot situation. When additional law enforcement arrived, a team was formed to enter the pod and restore order.  As the officers entered the pod, a group of inmates begin throwing pieces of concrete at the officers, which included three federal law enforcement officers.  The riot lasted approximately two and one-half hours before order was restored, and a total of nine inmates (including Rowan) were charged with federal offenses.

The charges arose from an investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office, the Okmulgee Police Department, the Okmulgee County Jail, and the Henryetta Police Department.

The Honorable Steven Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.