10 women allege abuse at Missouri jail. Jean Peters Baker represents them

Robert A. Cronkleton, The Kansas City Star on Sep 12, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ten women who say they were detained in unsafe and inhumane conditions at the Ray County jail in Henrietta, Missouri, have asked a federal judge for permission to take sworn statements from two former county commissioners ahead of a planned lawsuit.

In their filing, the women describe enduring sweltering heat, overflowing raw sewage, mold, poor medical care, lack of basic hygiene items, and pest infestations.

They allege that jail staff retaliated against them for complaining by removing fans, shutting doors, or withholding cleaning supplies, and that county officials, including former commissioners David Powell and Robert King, were repeatedly warned about the dangers but failed to act.

Newly elected Sheriff Gary Blackwell closed the jail in January, citing safety and security concerns, including sanitary plumbing issues, electrical problems, a lack of proper lighting, and damage from escape attempts.

The women filed the petition Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, seeking to preserve the sworn testimony of Powell and King, who held office during the period when the alleged conditions occurred. The women contend both men are of advanced age and that Powell’s health is deteriorating.

The filing notes that the women are not yet ready to file a civil lawsuit because their attorney, former Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, has requested records about the jail conditions under the Missouri Sunshine Law, but Ray County has provided only partial documents so far.

Citing her client’s best interest, Baker declined to comment about the case, except to say she was grateful the woman entrusted her to fight for them.

The women are Tabatha Spicer, Jessica Wardlow, Misty Silkwood, Deborah Rush, Shelby Brannum, Sheila Brown, Melynda Casey, Tammara Utley, April Ricketson, and Nichole Wilms, who at various times between 2021 through 2024 were detained at the jail at 200 W. Ninth Street in Henrietta, Missouri, about 45 miles northeast of Kansas City.

Steven Coronado, an attorney for Ray County, said the county is investigating women’s allegations and would proceed in a manner that complies with the law and the best interest of its citizens. He could not comment further due to pending litigation.

Ray County jail was ‘a death trap’

The women contend that the “intentionally punitive” jail conditions violated their due process rights under the 14th Amendment and constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, both of which are civil rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.

They assert Powell and King knew about the jail conditions and about inspections from an architectural firm and construction company in 2021 that called the jail a “death trap” and a “wood-fired pizza oven,” and warned of serious health and safety dangers.

At an August 2021 commission meeting, King and Ray County Sheriff Capt. Andrea Kreiling discussed letting many people out of the jail due to unsafe conditions. Kreiling said a drawback was that inmate presence helped offset jail costs, as the jail received revenue from the products and services detainees used. When inmates were released on ankle monitoring, the jail “is not getting anything” in revenue, she said. She noted inmate revenue totaled about $50,000 per month in May, June and July that year, according to the court document.

King responded that he was worried about a lawsuit, and Kreiling responded that the county making a good-faith effort to reduce jail issues, through repairs or replacing the jail, could be considered a mitigating circumstance in the event of a lawsuit, according to the court document.

Months later, King, in a public statement on behalf of the commission, acknowledged the jail was not safe.

Stifling heat caused illnesses

The women contend that the commission did nothing from 2021 through 2024 to alleviate the dangerous conditions. They also say Powell visited the jail in July 2024 after renewed complaints about extreme heat in the woman’s pod, which they said was in a windowless metal shed that lacked proper ventilation and working air conditioning.

According to the filing, the women alleged they suffered heat-related illnesses, including rashes that turned to open sores, confusion and in some cases loss of consciousness and seizures.

To combat the heat, the women would strip off their thick uniforms, even though they were not provided with undergarments. They also would cover hot ceiling lights with paper and run cold water in the shower to cool down the pod, but jail staff made them shut off the water, the court filing said.

The heat was so severe that some struggled to breathe, had panic attacks and lost weight, according to court documents.

In one instance described in the filing, a woman suffered seizures from the extreme heat. Jail staff allegedly refused to help, leaving fellow detainees to perform first aid until someone outside the jail called 911.

The filing also noted that there was no emergency call button, so the women would spell out “HELP” using playing cards near the surveillance camera to get the attention of jail staff.