Oklmulgee officials charged with violating Open Meeting Act

Members of the Okmulgee County Criminal Trust Authority, including the county sheriff and city police chief, were charged Thursday with 38 counts of violating the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.

They are accused of unauthorized voting in executive session, failure to give notice of action actually taken, failure to record each member’s vote and two counts of failure to give notice of action taken, according to published reports by Sheila Stogsdill in the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman.

The charges stem from meetings occurring from Dec. 7, 2006, to Feb. 1, 2007.

Stogsdill reported that court records don't indicate the next court date for the men.

The case is being prosecuted by Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Moore.

A violation of the Open Records Act is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500 and/or up to one year in the county jail. (OKLA. STAT. tit. 51, § 24A.17(A))

More details on the charges are available in Stogsdill's stories.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Journalism