OKLAHOMA CITY — Members of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board rejected a prosecutor’s ultimatum that they resign or face possible misdemeanor charges for alleged violations of the state Open Meeting Act, an attorney for one of the members said Friday.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater in August accused the five-member board of violating the Open Meeting Act by operating a secret parole docket and granting early parole to certain state prison inmates, including some who were not eligible for it.
Prater gave members of the part-time board until Friday afternoon to resign to avoid possible charges. But defense attorney John Coyle, who represents board member Richard Dugger, said the board members believe they have done nothing wrong.
“Everyone is in the boat,” Coyle said. “These people haven’t willfully violated the law.”
Coyle said he informed Prater of Dugger’s decision to remain on the board.
“He was very gracious,” Coyle said. He said he hopes there is some way to address Prater’s concern about the board’s practices without the filing of criminal charges. Violations of the Open Meeting Act carry a penalty of up to one year in the county jail and up to a $500 fine.
“These are all really good people. It’s a thankless job,” Coyle said. “There’s got to be some way to find some middle ground.”
Last year, Prater sent a strongly worded letter to the board’s executive director, Terry Jenks, accusing the board of “willful, conscious and purposeful violations of the law” by providing no public notice that it would consider early parole for some inmates under vaguely worded agendas that the district attorney said violated “the letter and the spirit of the act.”
“Additionally, I find the board’s actions to be in deliberate disregard of Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act,” the letter states. “The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s violations in this matter are egregious, aggravated and a clear attempt to operate in secrecy, outside of public scrutiny.”
In one instance, the prosecutor said a woman found guilty in 2008 of manslaughter was required to serve 85 percent of her 10-year sentence, or 8 1/2 years, before she would be eligible for parole under state law. Yet the victim’s family was notified she was on the Pardon and Parole Board’s docket in July — four years early.
Prater alleges the board violated the act 51 times in the last three years when it took up early release requests without proper public notice. The district attorney has said any actions by the board regarding early parole for the inmates are invalid and should be reversed, including taking improperly released inmates back into custody.
Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s office issued an opinion In October that said the board has the authority to recommend commutations for inmates required to serve 85 percent of their sentences before they are eligible for parole. The opinion said the governor also has the power to grant the commutations.
For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
