McCurtain County in National Spotlight for Recorded Conversation
The McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office claims that recordings that allegedly captured county officials making violent and racist remarks are fake and were released illegally
At a March 6 meeting, the four county officials were recorded saying they allegedly missed when racist violence in law enforcement was acceptable, threatening to kill journalists and making fun of a burn victim.
Here’s part of an alleged conversation between county commissioner Mark Jennings and sheriff Kevin Clardy discussing killing journalists:
Clardy: “What comes around goes around. It will. I told you.”
Jennings: “I know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need them.”
Clardy: “I’ve got an excavator.”
Jennings: “Well, these are already pre-dug.”
In a Facebook post Monday night, the Sheriff’s Office claimed their preliminary investigation showed the audio had been altered, and that the recording was a violation of the Oklahoma Security of Communications Act.
The McCurtain Gazette-News, which broke the story and the recordings, claimed the recordings could be shared because they were taken at a public meeting.
The statement comes after Governor Kevin Stitt called for the immediate resignation of Jennings, Clardy, investigator Alicia Manning and jail administrator Larry Hendrix after the recordings surfaced.
Norman Food Pantry Building New Facility
Leaders with Mission Norman are building a new food pantry to address the increased demand for food assistance.
Mission Norman is currently operating out of a converted house on East Lindsey.
The new state-of-the-art facility is being built behind the current location. It will offer more than 7,000 square feet to store food for those in need.
The nonprofit helped about 16-thousand people last year, and distributed more than 330-thousand meals.
The new food pantry is expected to be completed this fall.
Chairman of The Quapaw Nation Resigns
Over the weekend, Chairman of the Quapaw Nation Joseph Byrd resigned.
Citing death threats and continued criticism over his character and integrity, Joseph Byrd, resigned.
"The reality is that I can no longer do what is necessary because it requires me to stay on the warpath. And even though it's something I am good at, it's a path I'm unwilling to continue down, especially while I help my partner raise our two daughters," said Byrd.
Byrd was elected in 2020 after ousting longtime chairman John Berrey, who was accused of financial management and embezzlement.
Last week Byrd received notice that a recall petition had met the required amount of signatures necessary to call a special election for his position. He had drawn criticism for his decision to run for District 3 of the Cherokee Nation tribal council.
It's unclear who will take over a chairman of the business committee before a special election happens to replace Byrd. Tribal nation rules say an election must be held within 90 calendar days of Byrd’s resignation.
Wednesday Marks 28th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing
The Oklahoma City National Memorial hosts the 28th annual Remembrance Ceremony tomorrow morning.
The ceremony will include 168 seconds of silence, to be observed at 9:02 a.m.
Family members and survivors will read the names of the 168 people who were killed in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.
Seating will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the full ceremony will take place at 8:45.
Following the Remembrance Ceremony, the Memorial grounds will open to the public.
A live stream of the ceremony will be available on MemorialMuseum.com.
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