The remains of two in Carter County that could not afford a final resting place were sent to Oklahoma City for cremation, a change in past approvals by the county commission that saw higher costs.

The Carter County Commission approved both cremations during their regular meeting on Monday. The remains came from the state medical examiner’s office.

“We’re using the crematory up there in Oklahoma City by the medical examiner,” said commission chair Barry Lee-Brinkman. “The option was there, and since they’re already in Oklahoma City, now they’re not having to be transported down here and be cremated.”

The $695 price per cremation is about half of what the county has paid in the past. In March 2024, the county had paid upwards of $1,500 for the cremation of indigent remains.

The Carter County commissioners on Monday also spent about an hour in executive session to receive updates on two lawsuits filed against the county and the former sheriff last year. Lee-Brinkman said that the closed-door meeting with legal counsel was a procedural update and that the board took no action regarding the cases.

The first case was regarding a lawsuit by Joseph McCullough against multiple defendants including former Carter County Sheriff Chris Bryant. According to court documents, McCullough alleges he was denied medical treatment while incarcerated at the Carter County Detention Center in 2023 after a car crash that killed one person. He remains in the jail after being found guilty of manslaughter last month.

The second lawsuit is related to the July 4, 2019 murder of Jared Lakey after he was repeatedly tased by two Wilson police officers. While the two officers were found guilty of second-degree murder in 2021, a civil lawsuit was filed by the victim’s estate against multiple people and agencies including Bryant. That lawsuit alleges that Bryant, among others, permitted policies that led to Lakey’s death.

In other business, the Carter County Commission on Monday:

• tabled any action on a plat of land due west of Lone Grove;
• approved ODOT claim forms related to Longview Road and Newport Road;
• approved 2024 wages for publication;
• approved requisitions and purchase orders.