Barbara Barrick has filed a wrongful death civil rights lawsuit against the McCurtain County Board of County Commissioners, Sheriff Kevin Clardy, and several sheriff's deputies in response to the death of her husband following an arrest in 2022. Audio of Clardy reportedly talking about killing journalists and boasting about physically confronting the local district attorney has been released. The lawsuit seeks damages for the wrongful death and an injunction to prevent similar conduct in the future, highlighting the need for police reform and accountability.
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James Jennings, a county commissioner in far southeast Oklahoma, has resigned from office after being caught on tape discussing killing reporters and lynching Black people. Governor Kevin Stitt's office has condemned the comments, and the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office has launched an internal investigation. Outrage has been sparked in the local community, with many calling for further action to be taken against the officials involved.
Residents of a small community in Southeast Oklahoma are in shock after secret recordings revealed violent threats against newspaper reporters and jokes about killing Black people. The recordings have sparked a national outcry and prompted the FBI to launch an investigation, as well as the governor of Oklahoma calling for the resignations of the three officials involved. The sheriff's office has released a statement on Facebook, claiming the recording was illegally made and tampered with, and predicting felony charges will be filed. The community is still reeling from the scandal and many are waiting to see what the outcome of the investigation will be.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has called for the resignations of four McCurtain County officials after an audio recording was released that allegedly captured them making racist remarks and discussing the killing of journalists. The audio was obtained legally by the McCurtain Gazette-News and has sparked outrage in the community, with many calling for the officials to be held accountable. Governor Stitt has stated that he is "both appalled and disheartened" by the comments and is seeking the resignations of Sheriff Kevin Clardy, Sheriff's Capt. Alicia Manning, District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings, and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix.