TIFS Investigates: Firm that supplies medical services to Benton County has a history of lawsuits and settlements

Turn Key Health Clinics, an Oklahoma City-based correctional healthcare provider, delivers medical services to detention centers and jails across the United States, with a significant presence in states like Arkansas.

Established in 2009, the company now operates in over 75 facilities across 10 states--Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Montana, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Colorado--serving more than 23,000 incarcerated individuals.

Turn Key Health Clinics provides medical services to detention centers across several counties in Arkansas, though an exhaustive, up-to-date list of all counties currently using Turn Key as of April 1, 2025, is not fully detailed in publicly available records.

However, Turn Key is the health provider for the Benton County Detention Center, as well as Sebastian county in western Arkansas.

Allegra Warnick

The death of Allegra Warnick in February is just one of many in facilities staffed medically by Turn Key, including the high-profile death of Larry Eugene Price Jr. in the Sebastian County Detention Center in 2021 from dehydration and malnutrition, which led to a $6 million settlement in September 2023.

Warnick had multiple health issues in addition to a history of addiction and sources say she may have been highly intoxicated when she was taken to the Benton County Detention Center on the day before her death.

Turn Key provided medical and psychiatric care at the time of the death Price Jr. in Sebastian County. Following this death Turn Key expanded services in the county to include mental health counseling.

Turn Key Health Clinics has faced significant legal scrutiny, with over 160 lawsuits filed against it since 2015 across multiple states, at least 50 of which involve detainee deaths.

These cases often allege negligence, delayed care, or “deliberate indifference” to serious medical needs, a high legal threshold under U.S. civil rights law.

While many lawsuits are dismissed due to procedural challenges or lack of resources among plaintiffs, others have resulted in settlements or remain active. Below is a breakdown of notable lawsuits and known payouts tied to deaths:

In Union County (El Dorado): a 2023 lawsuit was filed following the death of Eusebio Castillo Rodriguez from untreated alcohol withdrawal, alleging negligence by Turn Key and county officials. The case remains pending.

A Faulkner County Detention Center (Conway) death in 2023 spurred a lawsuit lawsuit over Steve Standridge’s death from sepsis due to an untreated infection and accuses Turn Key of inadequate care. This case is also ongoing.

Turn Key has also experienced legal battles across the border in Oklahoma

The Garfield County death of Anthony Huf in 2016, who died after 48 hours in a restraint chair, hallucinating and untreated resulted in a $12.5 million lawsuit in 2019, with Turn Key settling for an undisclosed amount.

In Creek County, Ronald Garland:  died in 2021 of untreated intoxication. A $770,000 settlement was paid in June 2021, with Turn Key’s portion undisclosed.

Lesley Hendrix died of necrotizing fasciitis in Canadian County after a delayed response to a rash. The case remains pending as of 2025, with no settlement reported.

Oklahoma County has seen lawsuits over deaths like Michelle Caddell (2019, untreated infection) and others are ongoing or settled confidentially, with no public payout figures from Turn Key.

In Custer County, Marvin May died in 2022 after a fall and neglect; the lawsuit against Turn Key is active, with no resolution yet.

The investigation into the death of Allegra Warnick at the BCDC is ongoing pending the release of the final report from the medical examiner with the Arkansas State Crime Lab.