MCCURTAIN COUNTY (KFOR) – Recordings obtained by a McCurtain County reporter are receiving disgust from Governor Stitt Sunday. In them, they allegedly capture the Sheriff, the Commissioners, and others threatening Bruce Willingham of the McCurtain Gazette, according to Willingham’s law firm Kilpatrick Townsend.
The law firm says that recordings reveal county officials discussing plans to beat, kill and bury two newspaper reporters in Idabel, including Willingham’s son, Chris.
The three allegedly heard on the recording, the law firm says are McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, Commissioners Mark Jennings and Robert Beck, and Alicia Manning of the sheriff’s department.
Late Sunday night, the Governor came out against the alleged recordings saying:
“I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County. There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office. I will not stand idly by while this takes place.“
Governor Kevin Stitt
The Governor then said that his office will be calling on the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI) to initiate an investigation to determine whether any illegal conduct has occurred.
A protest is also planned for Monday around 8 a.m. in response to the alleged threats, according to those who live in Idabel.
McCurtain Memorial Hospital announced that it will go on lockdown starting at 7 a.m. due to the communities response to the alleged threats. The hospital stated that it will close every door but the emergency room entrance.
This is a developing story and KFOR will have more as updates come in.
