Two top Oklahoma County jail employees were fired because they were lovers who created a hostile work environment and not for being whistleblowers, the jail trust claims in a federal court filing.
When asked about the new allegations, an attorney for the former jail employees told The Oklahoman the explosive counterclaims were meant to distract from their reports of wrongdoing by jail administration.
The former high-ranking employees, Melissa Ritter, who was chief investigator for the jail’s Office of Professional Standards, and Tony Towery, who was chief of operations, sued the trust, formally the county Criminal Justice Authority, in connection with alleged actions by jail leadership in 2023 and 2024…