u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — reddlx

Sara Polston back in ODOC custody months after controversial early release

Sara Polston is back in state custody months after her early release became the focus of a grand jury investigation.

Polston was sentenced to eight years in custody for the drunk-driving crash that permanently injured Micaela Borrego, but was moved to GPS monitoring after serving just 73 days.

The circumstances surrounding that release drew significant scrutiny, including revelations of phone calls between Gov. Kevin Stitt and Polston’s husband. The grand jury ultimately found insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing while criticizing what it described as political favoritism and systemic failures.

Now, ODOC says Polston has been returned to Mabel Bassett because of a new, ongoing investigation. Officials have not yet disclosed what that investigation involves.

okcfox.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 13 days ago

▲ 45 r/oklahoma

Third-grade retention is coming back to Oklahoma. Are schools ready?

Oklahoma is investing millions in teacher training, literacy coaches and early intervention as it brings back a third-grade reading requirement next school year.

I spent time inside an OKCPS first-grade classroom and intervention program to see what that work looks like—and asked state leaders and literacy experts whether the new efforts are enough to avoid holding more students back.

Full report: https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-aims-for-mississippi-miracle-as-third-grade-reading-requirement-approaches-strong-readers-act-oklahoma-city-public-schools-lawmakers

okcfox.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 14 days ago

▲ 148 r/oklahoma

Oklahoma judge finds Lookout Kitchen investment deal was “procured through fraud,” orders $942K in damages and Ferrari, Bentley turned over

I’ve been reporting on the Lookout Kitchen state park restaurant deal for more than a year. New court records add another chapter.

An Oklahoma County judge found the investment agreement was “procured through fraud” and awarded RCC Ventures more than $942,000 in actual damages. The order also calls for a Ferrari and Bentley put up as collateral to be turned over.

Restaurant operator JP Wilson disputes the ruling, telling us: “There was no fraud.”

One question I’m still pursuing: records showed RPW owed the state more than $254,000 when the restaurants closed. Have we gotten ANY of that back?Full report

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 1 month ago

▲ 214 r/oklahoma

Body cam footage released from Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak’s arrest

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?

full video posted here- https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-secretary-of-state-benjamin-lepak-arrested-by-edmond-police-friday-night?fbclid=IwdGRleATxpG5wZG9mAWZkaWQWUMvGhJwFSpHc05I2YRmNttKp8pw8m2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5nGg9zDAkyl6HypOgerowr01vOuuOd5a4utTRiuu0oS1UuR_RbxafBKHbVDw_aem_1a5nT2Uo9FfeHMwIMWiyJQ

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 2 months ago

▲ 131 r/oklahoma

Oklahoma wants Tulsa to pay $523K for Operation SAFE cleanup. Tulsa says it could send the state a bill of its own

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?

fox23.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 2 months ago

▲ 27 r/oklahoma

State says it hasn't verified whether problems found in failed Oklahoma County Jail inspection have been fixed

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

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 3 months ago

▲ 202 r/oklahoma

New issue uncovered at Oklahoma County jail project; same contractor built the Norman library

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.

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 3 months ago

▲ 241 r/oklahoma

Judge orders Oklahoma County jail to turn over Brent Swadley surveillance video by 5 p.m. today

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?

okcfox.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago

▲ 59 r/okc

Graphic body camera video shows OKC Police K9 dragged while trying to stop stolen vehicle suspect

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

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago

▲ 139 r/oklahoma

Report: Oklahomans expected to pay 11% more for AC this summer

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%.

Full story:
https://okcfox.com/news/local/report-oklahoma-residents-to-pay-11-more-to-run-ac-this-summer-consumeraffairs-says?teaserSource=trending

Curious if you've noticed your electric bill climbing already this year. Or if you've made any changes to cut down on usage.

okcfox.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago

▲ 430 r/oklahoma

I made a quick explainer on the new grand jury report involving Gov. Stitt and Sara Polston

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.

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago

▲ 307 r/oklahoma

Oklahoma AG Drummond sues State Farm over alleged denial of hail and wind claims

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?

okcfox.com

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago

▲ 145 r/okc

Oklahoma County Jail denies release of surveillance video after inmate says cell door severed part of his finger

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.

u/Comfortable_Ad8337 — 4 months ago