Well… the body cam is out.
Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak was arrested after an encounter at a McDonald’s drive-thru, and now the public can see the footage for themselves.
What’s your take after watching the footage?
The State of Oklahoma is demanding Tulsa pay $523,873.90 for homeless encampment cleanups tied to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Operation SAFE.
The state argues Tulsa failed to address unlawful encampments, forcing state agencies to step in and says taxpayers across all 77 counties shouldn’t have to keep picking up the cost.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols is pushing back. He says the operation was conducted by the state, on state property, using state resources. He also questions why Tulsa was singled out and points out that Tulsa spends about $300,000 a year maintaining roughly 300 miles of state highways.
His response, essentially: If governments are going to start billing each other for work they think the other should have done, Tulsa can send a bill too.
The state’s letter goes even further, saying it plans to seek legislation next session allowing it to recover past, present and future cleanup costs from Tulsa under certain circumstances.
We dug into the letter, the $523K bill and what both sides are saying.
Who should be responsible for the cost — the state or the city?
We compared the Oklahoma State Department of Health's failed inspection of the Oklahoma County Detention Center with recorded jail phone calls from former inmate Brent Swadley.
The inspection found the jail was "not in substantial compliance" with multiple standards, citing deficiencies involving staffing, sanitation, inmate safety, food service and medical reporting.
I also followed up with both the jail and the Health Department to ask what has changed months since that inspection.
The jail said it's still preparing its response to the inspection.
The Health Department told me it has not yet conducted a follow-up inspection, so it cannot verify whether the deficiencies identified in May have been corrected.
The full story includes the inspection findings, the recorded calls, and responses from both agencies: https://okcfox.com/news/local/failed-report-recorded-calls-offer-look-inside-oklahoma-county-jail
The new Oklahoma County jail project has run into another construction issue.
According to project records, engineers discovered a groundwater problem beneath the future kitchen, requiring another design change. The design work alone is expected to cost more than $55,000, on top of previous costs including about $500,000 to remove oil-contaminated soil.
One detail that stood out to me: the construction manager is Flintco, the same company that built the Norman Central Library, which later closed because of extensive mold and water damage. That project is currently the subject of ongoing litigation.
A member of the jail's citizen oversight committee said she doesn't believe Flintco should necessarily be removed from the project but does think the company should receive more oversight going forward.
A judge has ordered the Oklahoma County Detention Center to provide surveillance video to Brent Swadley's attorney by 5 p.m. today.
The video is from the incident where Swadley says 20% his middle finger was severed while he was in the jail awaiting sentencing. His attorney previously told me whether they pursue legal action against the jail depends largely on what the footage shows, especially the timeline of him getting stuck in the door and getting help.
One thing I found interesting while reporting this: our newsroom also requested the video through Oklahoma's Open Records Act, and the jail denied that request. Right now I'd guess our best chances of publicly seeing that video are through Swadley's attorney. (If he decides to share it)
I'm curious what people think about that. Should this type of jail surveillance video become public after an incident like this, or is it reasonable for the jail to withhold it?
OKCPD has released body camera footage from a June 28 incident involving K9 Dash.
According to police, officers located a stolen truck near SE 19th and Santa Fe. They say the driver got out briefly, then jumped back into the truck and tried to flee. K9 Dash was deployed and held onto the suspect as the truck accelerated, before eventually losing his grip after being dragged down the road.
Police say Dash suffered road rash to his paws and is expected to make a full recovery. The suspect was arrested, and investigators say officers recovered meth from the scene.
Warning: The body camera footage is graphic and may be difficult for some people to watch.
Here's the video and the full story with additional details:
https://okcfox.com/news/local/graphic-body-camera-footage-released-as-k9-injured-pursuing-suspect
A new ConsumerAffairs report estimates Oklahoma residents will pay about 11% more to run their air conditioning this summer than last year, placing the state among those facing a higher cooling cost burden.
Since 2020, the average summer electricity bill in Oklahoma has increased 39%.
Curious if you've noticed your electric bill climbing already this year. Or if you've made any changes to cut down on usage.
A supplemental grand jury report released this week sheds more light on the controversy surrounding the early release of Sara Polston, who served 73 days of an eight-year sentence after a DUI crash that permanently injured Micaela Borrego.
The report documents 16 phone calls between Gov. Kevin Stitt and Polston's husband before her release. While the grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing, it says the records contradict the governor's previous public statements that he did nothing to help.
I put together this short explainer breaking down the report and included an interview with Borrego's attorney, Noble McIntyre, about why he believes the newly released records matter.
As always, I'm interested in hearing what Oklahomans think about the report and the governor's role.
Disclosure: I'm the reporter who produced this video.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is escalating his fight with State Farm, alleging the company systematically denied or underpaid legitimate hail and wind damage claims from Oklahoma homeowners. According to court filings, the AG claims State Farm used a "Hail Focus Initiative" that prioritized reducing payouts rather than honoring policy coverage. State Farm denies the allegations and says it has paid more than $1 billion in Oklahoma wind and hail claims over the past two years.
Considering how often Oklahoma gets hammered by hail and severe storms, this could affect a lot of homeowners. The case could also have broader implications for how insurers handle storm claims in the state.
Anyone here had issues getting a roof or storm damage claim approved through State Farm or another insurer?
FOX 25 obtained recorded jail calls from former restaurateur Brent Swadley, who says part of his middle finger was severed when it became trapped in a cell door at the Oklahoma County Jail.
In the calls, Swadley describes being stuck in the door, bleeding heavily, and later learning doctors could not reattach the severed portion of his finger. His attorney says he has undergone a skin graft procedure and may pursue legal action depending on what is shown on jail surveillance video.
FOX 25 requested the video, but the jail denied the request, citing security concerns. We also obtained jail records confirming an incident requiring off-site medical treatment occurred on June 8.
The case comes as Swadley remains in custody awaiting sentencing following his fraud conviction, which he is appealing.