Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
KFOR
‘Still needs to resign’: McCurtain County Sheriff voted out following controversial recordings
By John Hayes/KFOR,
13 days ago
MCCURTAIN COUNTY, Okla. ( KFOR ) – Residents in McCurtain County voted out Sheriff Kevin Clardy in a Tuesday primary just a little over a year after a scandal he’s been tied to.
Last year, McCurtain County Gazette reporters published a story and audio recordings of county officials having disturbing conversations after a McCurtain County Board of Commissioners meeting.
The conversations included comments about hiring hit men to murder reporters of the paper, hanging black Oklahomans and inappropriate comments about previous investigations. Clardy allegedly participated in a conversation about burying the journalists in holes and was present for the other conversations as well.
You can read transcripts and listen to audio recordings of those conversations here.
Following the recordings, Governor Kevin Stitt called for the resignation of every official involved in the conversation, including Clardy.
Others allegedly involved include former District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings, Jail Investigator Alicia Manning and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix.
Jennings was the only county employee to resign from his position. Hendrix was removed from his role, but given another position in the county. Clardy refused to resign from his position.
“There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma,” said Stitt in April last year.
At the time, Stitt called on the OSBI and Attorney General Gentner Drummond to investigate the matter.
Drummond sent a letter to Stitt June 30 saying that his offices investigation did not uncover any evidence of conduct that would warrant Clardy being removed from office.
“There are countless examples of incidents from across the country where public officials make inflammatory comments that spark severe condemnation,” part of Drummond’s letter said. “There remains but one authority to remove a duly elected county official who has broken now law: the People of Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking OSBI to expand the investigation into McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy.
Since that announcement a grassroots effort to have Clardy and the rest of the officials who didn’t resign to either step down or be voted out.
Tensions have also led to peaceful protests the past year in the county in favor of Clardy stepping down.
Glenda Austin of Idabel, Okla., holds a sign with other protesters, Monday, April 17, 2023, outside the McCurtain County Commissioners meeting room in Idabel, Okla. A number of McCurtain County residents were outraged by comments made by local officials on a recording and are asking for the resignation of the sheriff, two county commissioners and others. (Lori Dunn/The Texarkana Gazette via AP) In this photo provided by the Southwest Ledger, McCurtain County residents call for the resignation of several McCurtain County officials after tapes with the officials’ racist comments surfaced over the weekend, in Idabel, Okla., Monday, April 17, 2023. (Christopher Bryan/Southwest Ledger via AP) McCurtain County Protest (Source: KTAL/KMSS staff) McCurtain County protests
News 4 spoke with Lonnie Watson Wednesday who said he’s been a critical part of the effort to have Clardy removed.
“It’s good to know that people were actually listening,” said Watson.
Unofficial results from a June 18 primary election in McCurtain County showed voters didn’t favor Clardy’s bid for re-election.
Results so far show Clardy only managed to secure a little over 18% of the vote compared to challengers Bruce Shirey with 49% of the vote and Jason Ricketts with 32% of the vote.
“I hate the fact that, you know, that we had to go through this with the audio coming out and everything,” said Watson.
Shirey and Ricketts will likely go to a run-off, but Clardy won’t be in the running for the job. He’ll still keep the job until January regardless, when his term expires.
“He still needs to resign his position,” said Watson. “Our thoughts have not changed on that.”
News 4 reached out to Drummond’s office Wednesday for comment and received the following statement:
“I issued a letter nearly 12 months ago stating that the only legal path to remove Sheriff Clardy was through the ballot box. Yesterday, the voters of McCurtain County stated clearly that they reject the leadership of a man whose statements were clearly hateful and racist. I commend the voters for choosing a different path and I look forward to working with the new sheriff to protect public safety.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond
News 4 asked Watson how he felt about Drummond’s response.
“Even though I appreciate his political statement, because that’s all it is, is a political statement, I’m not going to lie…he’s still accountable himself; and his statement means zero to me.”
News 4 reached out to Stitt’s office for comment but was told by a spokesperson they would not comment on election/political inquiries from the official office.
News 4 also reached out to Clardy’s office for comment, but was told he was out of the office for the Juneteenth holiday.
As for the strides forward, during the time that has passed since the scandal has been made public, Watson said he’s noticed county improvements overall.
“You can see it if you go to a county commissioners meeting or if you go to a jail trust meeting or even a city council meeting,” said Watson. “There’s so much talk about being transparent and it’s all over social media.”
Watson said he also believes community trust in journalism has improved as a result of the incident, and that previously hard conversations have become easier to have thanks to the work of local journalists.
“I think they’ve done a good job in keeping the public informed of what’s going on, even if it’s what the public don’t really want to hear,” said Watson.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0