Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards was found dead at his home yesterday morning following a welfare check by the Muskogee Police Department. No cause of death has been released, pending medical examiner's report, but no foul play was apparent. Edwards had served as district attorney since 2021. He was 67.
OKLAHOMA CITY (December 12, 2023) - Today, Governor Kevin Stitt announced his appointment of Tommy Humphries to serve as district attorney for District 4, which encompasses Canadian, Garfield, Kingfisher, Blaine, and Grant Counties.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today held an interim study to detail his ideas on restructuring the state's entire criminal justice system.
IS23-025 was heard by the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee, which Humphrey chairs.
"We believe the criminal justice system in Oklahoma is broken and that what we are doing as legislators is simply putting Band-aids on the system," Humphrey said. "This isn't going to work. We need a new system, one that actually changes criminal behavior and reduces our prison population while keeping our people safe."
OKLAHOMA CITY (August 3, 2023) - Today Governor Kevin Stitt announced his appointment of Melissa Handke to serve as the District Attorney for the 20th Judicial District. This district includes Carter, Johnston, Love, Marshall, and Murray counties.
Arlington, VA (October 31st) – With crime rising and one of the top issues on voters' minds, today, Protecting Americans Action Fund (PAAF) released a television ad supporting Kevin Calvey for Oklahoma County District Attorney.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 20, 2022) – Governor Kevin Stitt today announced the appointment of Adam Panter to serve as district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District, encompassing Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties. Panter will serve the remainder of the current term, following the vacancy created by the resignation of Allan Grubb.
Tuesday is the Oklahoma Runoff Election, and voters all across the state will be heading to the polls to decide nominees in many different races. Below are a few of my voting picks. I know I'm just a lowly blogger, but hopefully the information in this post will be helpful with your voting plans.
If you don't know where to vote, or want to see your sample ballot, use this helpful link from the Oklahoma State Election Board to find out. Early voting continues today (8am to 6pm) and tomorrow (8am to 2pm) at your county election board.
MICK CORNETT ENDORSES CALVEY FOR D.A.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (July 17, 2022) – Former Oklahoma City mayor, Mick Cornett, has officially endorsed Kevin Calvey in the primary runoff election for Oklahoma County District Attorney. Calvey faces a runoff election after garnering 49.97% of the four-candidate primary vote.
"Kevin Calvey has proven he has the integrity, grit, and competence to be a great District Attorney. I hope you'll join me in supporting him,” Mick Cornett announced.
(Oklahoma City, July 13th) – Recounts in the Oklahoma County District Attorney, District 7 Republican Primary, McIntosh County Commissioner, District 3 Democratic Primary, and the Nowata County Assessor Republican Primary have each confirmed the outcomes of those elections.
Last week’s recounts in McIntosh and Nowata counties exactly matched the election results.
The Oklahoma County recount was completed today and confirmed that the Republican Primary for District Attorney is headed to the August 23 Runoff. Out of nearly 58,000 ballots that were recounted by hand in Oklahoma County, only six changes occurred from the original count: Robert W. Gray (+2), Gayland Gieger (+2) and Kevin Calvey (+2).
“Recounts are an important part of the election process, and these recounts proved once again that Oklahoma has one of the most accurate and secure voting systems in the entire world. That is something that every Oklahoman can be proud of,” said Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the State Election Board.
Conservative stalwart Kevin Calvey almost cleared the Oklahoma County District Attorney primary without a runoff (49.97% of the vote), falling short by 30 votes - there is a recount ongoing. Earlier this week, the two candidates who did not make the runoff endorsed him:
JACQUI FORD & ROBERT W. GRAY ENDORSE CALVEY FOR D.A.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (July 5, 2022) – Former Republican primary candidates for Oklahoma County District Attorney, Jacqui Ford and Robert W. Gray, are endorsing Kevin Calvey in the primary runoff election. Both of them say Calvey is the only candidate left in the race who can reverse the deep dysfunction that currently pervades the D.A.’s office.
Tuesday is the Oklahoma Primary Election, and voters all across the state will be heading to the polls to decide nominees in many different races. Hopefully the information in this post will be helpful with your voting plans.
If you don't know where to vote, or want to see your sample ballot, use this helpful link from the Oklahoma State Election Board to find out.
Below are a few of my voting picks. Work and other commitments prevented me from getting into more detail on most of these races, but here are some basic thoughts.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (May 4th) - Cindy Byrd’s investigative audit of Stillwater Public Schools has led to felony embezzlement charges filed against former district employee Stacy Hampton. Hampton is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from the school nutrition program over the course of seven years.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (February 22, 2022) -- Oklahoma County Sheriff, Tommie Johnson III, is endorsing Kevin Calvey for the upcoming Republican primary for Oklahoma County District Attorney. Johnson is encouraging fellow conservatives to join him in voting for Calvey on June 28th.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 13, 2021) – Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Larry Edwards to serve as district attorney for District 15 in Muskogee County. Edwards’ appointment fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Orvil Loge on Sept. 30.
“Larry has a proven track record defending the law and I know he will serve Oklahomans well as the district attorney for Muskogee County,” said Gov Stitt. “I look forward to his continued service to Oklahoma in this new role.”
“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed by the governor,” said Edwards. “I look forward to this new opportunity to help serve the law enforcement and people of Muskogee County.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 30, 2020)- Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Tim Webster as District Attorney for District 19, which includes Atoka, Bryan and Coal Counties. Webster fills the seat of Emily Redman, who retired on October 1, 2020. By statute, Webster has been serving as acting District Attorney since then.
"Tim Webster has spent almost four decades serving the people of Atoka, Bryan and Coal Counties," said Gov. Stitt. "His experience as a litigator and prosecutor, as well as his heart for his community, makes him the best choice to serve as the next District Attorney for District 19."
OKLAHOMA CITY (October 20th) – State Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, the chair of the Majority Caucus in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, today held an interim study examining the issue of restorative justice as an alternative to traditional criminal justice models for non-violent offenders.
The study was held before the House Judiciary Committee.
“I wanted to take a closer look at restorative justice programs and how they are working in other states and how they might be a viable alternative here in Oklahoma as part of our overall reform of the criminal justice system,” West said.
Jason Hicks, a prosecutor with Oklahoma’s Sixth Prosecutorial District, explained how he got interested in restorative justice as an alternative form of justice in Oklahoma.
Hicks said there are too many people inside our prisons on low-level, non-violent charges. Restorative justice keeps people safe but deals with these offenders in a different way. What caught his attention was the program was victim-centered. He said it is so important for victims to have a voice in anything that is done. Another plus was the low recidivism rates for offenders who went through the program. It also is community-driven, which is something missing from traditional criminal justice programs.
He said the program restores the victim and the community while educating the offender.
Jeff Reisig, the district attorney for Yolo County, CA, and Nicole Kirklady, director of Neighborhood Court in Yolo County, spoke about the success of their program.
Reisig said he’s a traditional DA serving a mix of rural and urban cities, much like most of Oklahoma. He said his mission is to seek justice and do justice, but he found that often in the traditional court system it worked too much like a turnstile, giving victims very little say in the punishment of their offender. This program is completely voluntary for both the offender and the victim, and it gives victims a say in a punishment they feel is appropriate. He said victims are compensated for their crimes and they work to make sure the victim is made whole. It also gives community volunteers an opportunity to have input into the process. It’s also important to note, Reisig said, that the offender by the end of the program is restored to the community where they can become an active participant again, which he said adds to the success of the program.
He said this has reduced incarceration and recidivism rates in his county. He said another important component is that this is DA-driven and not something forced upon the DAs. He also said his department has been able to make this work on a shoestring budget.
Reisig explained the program does not take sex offenders, DUI offenders or perpetrators of certain other crimes. He did say, however, that many of the people that formerly were on the other side of the picket line from prosecutors, the police and the courts have now become their best community partners.
Carrie Slaton-Hodges, commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses Services, said this type of program could help Oklahoma in several ways. It would give offenders an opportunity to take responsibility for their actions and to listen to the side of victims and the community about how their crime impacted them, which is incredibly important in changing behavior. She said this also could help stop offenders earlier in their trajectory before crimes move from misdemeanors to felonies. In addition, it gives communities the opportunity to see where changes might be needed to help stop some offenses. For instance, were crimes committed because of a lack of access to food, transportation or other services?
Jari Askins, director of the Oklahoma Administrative Office of the Courts, and Phil Johnson with the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program, explained how the ADR program currently works in Oklahoma and how that program might be used to support a restorative justice model here in the state.
Kathryn Brewer with the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council spoke about potential legislation that could help create a restorative justice program in Oklahoma. She said there are easy statutory fixes that could make a pilot program available as soon as next Nov. 1 as long as funding can be identified. She said the program would be a win-win for everyone.
Tammy West serves District 84 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes part of Oklahoma County.
Oklahoma City (September 24th) — The Oklahoma District Attorneys Association has voted to oppose State Question 805, stating that the measure is a danger to Oklahoma’s public safety.
“State Question 805 is a misguided proposal which would impact hundreds of serious crimes,” said Angela Marsee, Oklahoma District Attorneys Association officer. “Proponents claim it’s a reform that helps first-time offenders, but in reality it will serve get-out-of-jail-free cards on a silver platter to repeat violent offenders of domestic violence in the presence of a child, stalking, animal cruelty, home burglary, arson, DUI, or soliciting sex from a minor using technology.”
Oklahoma’s district attorneys also challenge S.Q. 805 with a fact-check about claims in their new ad:
