A sheriff in Oklahoma, five of her deputies and several other staff members resigned this week in protest of a judge’s order to reopen a county jail that they had deemed unsafe.

The sheriff, Terry Sue Barnett of Nowata County, said the jail had deteriorated past a point where it could safely house inmates and members of law enforcement. She pointed in particular to a carbon monoxide leak that sent four employees to an emergency room late last month and prompted the jail to temporarily transfer its inmates to another facility.

“The condition of the jail is such that it does not comply with constitutional standards,” Sheriff Barnett said at a news conference on Monday announcing that she, the five deputies, the county undersheriff, the head dispatcher and the canine ranger were stepping down. (She also said the canine ranger’s “paw friend” had resigned, adding, when people did not laugh, “That is supposed to be funny.”)

The carbon monoxide leak’s cause has still not been determined, Sheriff Barnett said, adding that there were other day-to-day safety problems plaguing the jail in Nowata County, which is about 40 miles north of Tulsa, in northeastern Oklahoma.