Oklahoma
A fact check of the Oklahoma County DA debate
Oklahoma County district legal professional candidates Kevin Calvey and Vicki Behenna debated on Oct. 11 in Oklahoma Metropolis at an occasion hosted by NonDoc and Information 9. Calvey, a Republican, and Behenna, a Democrat, will compete to switch outgoing Oklahoma County District Legal professional David Prater within the Nov. 8 normal election.
The complete occasion is out there to look at on YouTube. The employees of The Frontier used public data, interviews and different sources to fact-check among the candidates’ claims from the talk.
For those who missed the talk, you possibly can learn a recap or watch a video of the total occasion beneath.
Declare: Calvey has no expertise as a prosecutor.
Behenna stated: “I’m the one particular person working for district legal professional who has expertise as a prosecutor.”
Reality test: Principally false
Calvey served as a prosecutor for a couple of yr between 2007 and 2008 whereas serving within the U.S. Military in Iraq, in accordance with a marketing campaign spokesperson. Calvey was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service as a senior prosecutor and “crew chief for high-visibility and particular operations instances,” in accordance with paperwork offered by Calvey’s marketing campaign.
Behenna’s marketing campaign stated Calvey has not been a prosecutor in state or federal courts and pointed to Calvey’s lack of expertise with jury trials.
“Vicki Behenna has been concerned in state and federal courts for over 30 years, as a prosecutor and as a protection legal professional. No different candidate has that kind of expertise,” stated Kaylee Rains-Saucedo, Behenna’s deputy marketing campaign supervisor.
— Kayla Department
Declare: Most individuals who die on the troubled Oklahoma County Detention Heart die as a result of they’re in unhealthy well being once they arrive on the jail.
Calvey stated: “The rationale most individuals who die within the jail do is as a result of they’re about on dying’s door once they’re dropped at the jail.”
Reality test: False
As of mid-October, 14 individuals have died in custody this yr on the Oklahoma County jail. One was crushed to dying by one other prisoner, 4 are believed to have died by suicide and a minimum of one other 4 are believed to have overdosed on medication, in accordance with jail and media reviews. Of the 5 remaining deaths, two have been discovered useless months or almost a yr after being booked in.
Mark Opgrande, a spokesman for the Oklahoma County Detention Heart, stated the jail used to do solely partial medical screenings throughout reserving however now gathers data on detainees’ medical histories and prescription and illicit drug use. If police don’t take arrestees with medical points on to the hospital, jail employees refer them there, Opgrande stated.
The jail didn’t monitor medical bond requests till this yr, in accordance with Opgrande. Since April, there have been 21 medical bond requests for prisoners on the jail, however solely seven have been granted.
— Clifton Adcock
Declare: Ladies in Oklahoma who search abortion can’t be prosecuted beneath state legislation.
Behenna stated: “Oklahoma legislation doesn’t present for a DA — even the AG has stated that ladies who search an abortion will not be going to be prosecuted beneath these new legal guidelines.”
Reality test: True
State legal guidelines that went into impact this yr after the overturn of Roe v. Wade prohibit any particular person from performing or helping with the efficiency of an abortion, however “don’t permit for the prosecution or punishment of any mom for searching for or acquiring an abortion,” in accordance with an Aug. 31 memo from the Oklahoma Legal professional Basic’s workplace.
Oklahoma beforehand had a legislation on the books that allowed for girls who had abortions to be prosecuted, nevertheless it was repealed.
— Kayla Department
Declare: Stavian Rodriguez, a 15-year-old who was fatally shot by Oklahoma Metropolis police in 2020 throughout an tried armed theft, was a “identified violent felon.”
Calvey stated: “That man, who was a identified violent felon, provoked officers.”
Reality test: Principally false
The Frontier couldn’t discover any report that Rodriguez had ever been charged or convicted as an grownup in Oklahoma for any crime. Any juvenile felony data are sealed from public view. Rodriguez’s mom, Cameo Holland, instructed The Frontier that her son had been concerned with the juvenile justice system for minor, non-violent infractions earlier than his dying.
Rodriguez was allegedly concerned in an armed theft simply earlier than police shot him. Trapped inside a small comfort retailer surrounded by officers, Rodriguez exited by way of a small window earlier than dropping his firearm and putting his palms within the air, surveillance footage confirmed. Officers ordered him to the bottom and shot Rodriguez a number of occasions as he made a movement towards his pants, the video confirmed. Officers later discovered a cellular phone in a rear pocket.
— Reese Gorman and Dylan Goforth
Declare: There have been extra deaths and extra contraband on the Oklahoma County Detention Heart this yr than earlier years.
Behenna stated: “Fairly actually, extra individuals have died this yr alone within the Oklahoma County jail, and there’s been extra contraband launched within the jail simply previously yr.”
Reality test: Principally false.
As of Oct. 17, 14 individuals have died within the Oklahoma County jail in 2022, in contrast with 14 deaths for everything of 2021. So whereas the jail is on tempo to have a better variety of deaths since final yr, that grim statistic is at the moment tied with final yr’s.
In response to numbers provided by spokesman Mark Opgrande, there have been 220 particular investigations opened for contraband within the jail within the 2021 fiscal yr, in comparison with 201 within the 2022 fiscal yr, a couple of 9 p.c lower.
— Clifton Adcock
Declare: Behenna submitted faux paperwork in federal court docket within the Courtney Wells case and two individuals might have been murdered.
Calvey stated: “Two Oklahomans are lacking and will have been murdered as a result of Vicki Behenna was keen to submit faux paperwork to a federal court docket to get her crooked consumer out of jail.”
Reality test: Blended
The Frontier charges this declare as combined as a result of Calvey’s statements are unproven and lots of details of the case stay unknown.
Courtney Wells was one in every of three house owners of the Norman-based Massive Purple auto dealerships who have been convicted in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2021. A federal grand jury indictment alleged Wells and co-defendants Bobby Chris Mayes and Charles Gooch made false statements to lenders about debtors’ down funds or car trade-ins as a way to receive thousands and thousands of {dollars} in mortgage cash.
The defendants haven’t been sentenced but, however they probably face a long time in federal jail. They’re searching for a brand new trial, alleging prosecutors withheld proof within the case, amongst different claims. Wells disappeared in Might after she and her husband went on a tenting journey, in accordance with a lacking particular person report a member of the family filed with Norman Police.
Behenna is a part of Mayes’ protection crew. After Wells went lacking, Behenna and Mayes’ different attorneys filed a movement asking for a brand new trial primarily based on what they declare is a trove of latest proof. Mayes’ attorneys say Wells despatched him an electronic mail across the time of her disappearance that absolves their consumer of guilt. Within the electronic mail, Wells confessed that she had secretly conspired with a key witness for the prosecution to steal cash from the Massive Purple enterprise, in accordance with the court docket submitting. A folder crammed with outdated printed electronic mail correspondence between Wells and the witness was additionally found on the dealership, detailing a scheme to falsify data for loans, take cash from the enterprise and conceal all of it from Mayes.
Behenna and Mayes’ different attorneys couldn’t authenticate the emails with Google or a pc forensics firm, however a employed forensic doc skilled has stated they’d be troublesome to falsify.
The U.S. Legal professional’s workplace disputes the authenticity of the emails.
“The one one that advantages in any method from Ms. Wells’ inexplicable disappearance is Mr. Mayes,” federal prosecutors stated in a court docket submitting.
Robert Gifford, an legal professional for Wells, stated he didn’t know what had occurred to his consumer. He stated he has solely seen among the emails and couldn’t say in the event that they have been genuine.
Norman police are investigating Wells’ disappearance as a lacking particular person case, an company spokeswoman stated.
— Brianna Bailey
Ranking system:
- True: A declare that’s backed up by factual proof.
- Principally true: A declare that’s largely true but in addition accommodates some inaccurate particulars.
- Blended: A declare that accommodates a mixture of correct and inaccurate or unproven data.
- True however deceptive: A declare that’s factually true however omits vital particulars or context.
- Principally false: A declare that’s largely false but in addition accommodates some correct particulars.
- False: A declare that has no foundation in truth.
