BBQ tycoon loses part of his FINGER in freak jailhouse accident while awaiting sentencing for fraud

Published: 18:58, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 19:30, 25 June 2026 A prisoner at Oklahoma County Detention Center says he lost part of his finger after it was slammed in a jail cell door. Brent Swadley, the owner of popular chain Swadley's BBQ, is awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty of fraud last month. The restaurateur said he was having a conversation with a detention officer, whom he had never met, when they became 'spooked' after he had come 'too close'. The claims emerged in a recording of a prison phone call obtained by KOCO 5. Swadley said he apologized and turned around to go back into his cell before the officer pushed him from behind and then slammed the door of the cell closed. "My finger is stuck in the door! My finger is stuck in the door!" Swadley recalled saying to the guard, who continued to pick up breakfast trays and left. Swadley said he called the jail operator for help, but that 20 minutes went by without anyone coming to help him. When he called again, he got a new operator. 'She didn't even know what I was talking about because it was a new operator,' he said. According to Swadley his finger was stuck in the door and there was 'blood going everywhere.' Brent Swadley spent an agonizing 20 minutes crying out for help after the horrific mishap The owner of popular restaurant chain Swadley's BBQ was sent down for fraud last month Swadley is awaiting a sentencing hearing that is expected to take place on July 16 He said the same guard from earlier eventually appeared and helped him after 'apologizing immediately'. 'I lost about probably 20 per cent of my left middle finger.' Swadley said in the phone call. 'It's a little more than the tip.' He was quickly taken to a local hospital, where they told him parts of the finger were beyond saving. Last month Swadley was found guilty on one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the state and five felony counts of presenting false or fraudulent claims against the state.  He is due to be sentenced on July 16. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said his office is requesting that Brent Swadley be sentenced to 10 years. David Smith, Swadley’s legal counsel, claims that his family 'continues to be worried about his safety at the Oklahoma county detention center' but have asked the media for privacy at this 'difficult time', according to KFOR-TV. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.