Terral Ellis
OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla. –Ottawa County voters approved a temporary one-cent sales tax increase to help pay a court judgment exceeding $33 million, plus attorney fees and interest, related to the death of an inmate at the Ottawa County Jail.
90% of voters in Ottawa County approved the temporary sales tax increase.
The tax will be used exclusively to pay the judgment in Estate of Ellis vs. Sheriff of Ottawa County. The tax would expire Dec. 31, 2042, or sooner if any debt issued in connection with the tax is paid in full.
What the ballot proposition would do
According to the ballot language, the proposed one-cent sales tax will be dedicated solely to satisfying the court judgment. The measure also authorizes the payment of debt service and any issuance costs associated with financing the obligation.
Background on the Ellis case
Terral Ellis died in October 2015 after spending 12 days in the Ottawa County Jail. Ellis had turned himself in on an outstanding DUI warrant.
Court records and jail video introduced during the case showed Ellis repeatedly complained of pain and asked jail staff for medical help. He died at age 26 from septic shock. An autopsy found his death was caused by pneumonia and sepsis.
Ellis’ family filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office and several of its former employees in 2020 accusing them of not properly treating Ellis when he got pneumonia.
The family’s attorney said jail staff can also be heard in the video mocking Ellis while he’s complaining of pain in his back, ribs, and organs.
In 2024, the court granted the county’s request to stay enforcement of the judgment while the case was appealed. In April 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit affirmed the judgment, lifting the stay and requiring the county to begin satisfying the award.
