The "Baby Shark" song has become a favorite for kids under five (and a real annoyance to adults who have to listen to it on a fairly regular basis). Apparently that thought process is what landed two former detention officers and their supervisor in hot water.
According to The Oklahoman, Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles, both 21-years-old, and their 50-year-old supervisor, Christopher Raymond Hendershott, were charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy.
The inmates were allegedly handcuffed with their hands behind their back and secured to a wall for hours at a time. The "inhuman" discipline they received, according to the Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, was being forced to hear the "Baby Shark" on repeat for hours on end.
"It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario," Prater explained. "I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior."
The incidents happened on multiple occasions in October and November, an investigation conducted by Prater's office revealed. Four inmates brought forth the complaint.
The DA report concluded that Butler and Miles frequently worked together and disciplined inmates on their own "because they felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of the inmates," the investigation revealed.
"Butler also confirmed that he used the [attorney] booth as a means of punishment," the investigator wrote. "The playing of the music was said to be a joke between Miles and Butler."
The DA's investigation found that the "Baby Shark" song on repeat put "undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering from physical stressors."
