Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is calling for the immediate resignation of McCurtain County Sheriff, District 2 Commissioner, and an investigator and jail administrator after ” horrid comments” they allegedly made were published in a recording.
“I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County. There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office,” said Gov. Stitt in a statement on Sunday evening.
The recording, captured by Gazette reporter Bruce Willingham and published in the weekend edition on April 15-16 , revealed the sheriff’s officials and commissioner discussing “beating, killing and burying Gazette reports Chris Willingham and Bruce Willingham” during a county commissioners meeting on Mar. 6, 2023.
Click here to read the full transcript of the recording.
Stitt asked McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, Commissioner Mark Jennings, Investigator Alicia Manning and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix to submit their resignation immediately.
“I will not stand idly by while this takes place. In light of these events, I am calling for the immediate resignation of McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings, Investigator Alicia Manning, and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix,” said Stitt.
In its article, the McCurtain Gazette News states the “bizarre discussion” came on the same day that reporter Chris Willingham filed a lawsuit in Muskogee against Investigator Manning, the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office and the Board of County Commissioners, claiming that they had “defamed him and violated his civil rights.”
Stitt also stated he will be calling the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to initiate an investigation to determine whether any illegal conduct has occurred.
