Man Allegedly Poses as Lawyer to Infiltrate Oklahoma Jail, Sparks Security Concerns

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In a curious twist of events in Oklahoma City, a man has been arrested after allegedly masquerading as a lawyer to visit his incarcerated girlfriend at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. The man in question, Aaron Oldham, is now speaking out about the incident that has garnered significant attention.

According to court documents, Oldham’s visit to the jail on October 13 was under the guise of handling legal matters for his girlfriend, Christine Hillier, who had been incarcerated since October 6 on charges stemming from Douglas County, Nevada. Oldham’s objective was to get power of attorney documents signed on Hillier’s behalf.

During his visit, Oldham reportedly accessed the attorney’s visitation area by presenting himself as Hillier’s legal representative. He allegedly told the detention staff, “We are trained in patients,” attempting to solidify his faux attorney status.

Investigators revealed that once Hillier was brought into the attorney’s booth, the interaction between the couple quickly turned affectionate, culminating in hugging and kissing. This uncharacteristic behavior led to further scrutiny and the realization that Oldham lacked any formal legal qualifications or a license to practice law, prompting his immediate arrest on charges of false personation.

Reflecting on the situation, Oldham described it as a “silly misunderstanding” and expressed his intent to avoid further entanglements with the legal system. “I’m a very law-abiding person,” he stated, hoping to move past the incident without future legal mishaps.

Oldham told local affiliate KFOR he did not want to explain the details of the allegations.

“I trust, I trust the U.S. legal system,” said Oldham.

Aaron Oldham. Image: Oklahoma County Detention Center.

Christine Hillier, Image courtesy Oklahoma County Detention Center

KFOR spoke with criminal defense attorney Ed Blau about the allegations, a practicing attorney in Oklahoma County, who says he’s been in and out of the jail on hundreds of occasions visiting clients.

“I’ve been to the jail a couple of hundred times in my career, and I’ve never seen a situation where somebody out of the blue showed up and pretended to either be a bonds person or an attorney,” said Blau. “Most of the time, the staffers either know you or, if they don’t, they request some form of ID and your bar card to show you’re an attorney.”

An Oklahoma County Detention Center spokesperson confirmed to KFOR in a statement on Wednesday that a staff member made a mistake. The statement noted they had been disciplined, and all staff in the attorney visitation area had been retrained:

“An individual recently presented himself at the jail claiming to be an attorney in order to visit an inmate. A staff member did not follow established verification procedures, allowing the individual access. Once the breach was discovered, investigators obtained a warrant, and the individual was arrested at a residence in Oklahoma City. The staff member involved has been disciplined, and all staff assigned to the attorney visitation area have received retraining to reinforce our existing policies and prevent this from happening again.”

Oklahoma County Detention Center

KFOR also spoke with Oklahoma County District One Commissioner Jason Lowe on Wednesday, who said he believes the mistake is a part of a bigger problem at the jail.

“It’s concerning,” said Lowe. “We need more staff at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. We need more funding at the Oklahoma County Center detention center.”

Lowe is also a practicing attorney, and commended jail staff for taking accountability for the mistake, but he said he plans to follow up.

“How do we avoid it?” asked Lowe. “This should never happen again.”

It’s unclear if Hillier will face any additional charges in connection with the incident.