Murder Suspect Found Dead
A man wanted for last week's deadly gunfight in Garvin County has been found dead.
A team from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol found 25-year-old Kameron Jenkins this morning near the original scene of the incident.
Investigators say Jenkins shot a Cleveland County Sheriff's deputy near Wynnewood last Wednesday morning.
A bystander was also killed.
It's unclear exactly what happened, but the deputy is part of a regional drug task force.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is continuing to look into the events that led up to the shooting and Jenkins' death.
Ada Man Gets Exoneration
An Ada man who had spent 30 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit was exonerated today.
Perry Lott was convicted of rape and burglary in 1988 and was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison.
In 2014, a post-conviction DNA test proved his innocence.
Despite being proven innocent, Lott was not released from prison until 2018 when he filed a motion to have his conviction vacated.
Former District Attorney Paul Smith did not vacate Lott’s conviction, but instead modified his sentence so he would be released immediately.
Current District Attorney for District 22, Erik Johnson, concluded Lott’s conviction should be vacated.
This follows last month’s exoneration of another Oklahoma inmate, Glynn Simmons, who served nearly 50 years for murder before his case was dismissed.
State Board Approves Proposed Contract For Nation’s First Publicly Funded Religious School
The nation’s first publicly funded religious school is one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the contract Monday for the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School.
The decision to approve the contract between the board and St. Isidore was split 3-2, with the board’s chair, Robert Franklin, as one of the two nay votes. Franklin has voted against St. Isidore’s establishment from the beginning, citing looming constitutional questions.
"I am very concerned about, you know, the oath that I took, just like everybody else, to uphold the State Charter Schools Act and the state’s constitution. It’s very, very problematic. It does not align well," Franklin said.
The approval of St. Isidore’s application this summer set off a firestorm of national controversy. Oklahoma’s attorney general, who advised the board against approving the application, is not representing the board on the matter because of that decision.
A lawsuit calling for an injunction against the school’s opening is working its way through the courts, with a December date set for a hearing.
In the meantime, St. Isidore will now review and potentially sign the contract.
Lawsuit Filed Against Oklahoma Health Care Authority
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is being sued over its Health Information Exchange.
The case involves the constitutionality of the exchange because it requires Medicaid providers to report patient information.
Health information exchanges aim to streamline care for patients seeing multiple providers by helping them communicate and share data about a patient so they can provide optimal care.
Lawyers for The Oklahoma Fraternal Order of the Police claim the private exchange is unconstitutional and dangerous because it could sell that information.
Travis Vernier, a lead litigator, says the FOP hopes to prevent the exchange’s implementation.
“If this information is uploaded, it just gives one more avenue for somebody to use their personal information against them because, keep in mind, this information will be shared with every provider in the state,” Vernier said.
The hearing will be held on Nov. 30 in Oklahoma County.
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