Oklahoma Sheriff Discussed Killing Reporters, Lynching Black Residents in Leaked Audio

An Oklahoma sheriff and several McCurtain County officials are under fire after leaked audio was released by a local newspaper, the McCurtain Gazette-News.

The leaked audio showed McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy talking with a county official and several deputies. The sheriff stated in the audio that he went to District Attorney Mark Matloff's office and threatened him and that the sheriff would "whoop his ass."

However, the most shocking part of that audio was when one of the officials in the audio was heard saying that he wanted to have Black people lynched and the sheriff discussing that he wanted to kill reporters.

The McCurtain Gazette-News is a print-only newspaper, but they released the full audio of the conversation, prompting Republican Governor Kevin Stitt to call for the Oklahoma sheriff's resignation, as well as the county official and the deputies heard in that audio.

Over the weekend, the leaked audio sparked outrage in the town of Idabel, which is part of McCurtain County, where Sheriff Clardy serves. It is a relatively small county with a little over 20,000 residents. However, it has gained national attention because of the leaked audio tapes.

McCurtain County Official Resigns After Oklahoma Sheriff's Leaked Audio

Following the fallout of those leaked audio tapes, a spokesperson for Governor Stitt stated that his office received a handwritten resignation letter from McCurtain County Commissioner Mark Jennings, who was the official heard in the audio talking about killing journalists.

According to PBS News, Jennings has stated that he plans to release a formal statement "in the near future regarding the recent events in our county."

Those recorded in the controversial audio included Sheriff Kevin Clardy, sheriff's Capt. Alicia Manning, Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix, and Jennings.

They appeared to have been discussing McCurtain Gazette-News publisher Bruce Willingham and his son, Chris, who works as a reporter for the local newspaper. Willingham left a recorder in the sheriff's office, and it led to the conversation being released to the public.

In the leaked conversation, Jennings reportedly told the sheriff, "I know where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them," and the sheriff responded, "I've got an excavator."

The county official also told the sheriff that he knows "two or three hit men" in Louisiana and complained that they cannot hang Black people anymore, saying, "They got more rights than we got."

Oklahoma Widow Files Lawsuit Against Embattled Sheriff Following Leaked Audio

As the sheriff and county officials grapple with the fallout of that leaked recording, the embattled Oklahoma sheriff now faces a new challenge regarding a man who died at the hands of his deputies.

Barbara Barrick, the widow of an Oklahoma man who died following a 2022 arrest, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sheriff Clardy. While her husband's death did not garner much attention, now that the sheriff is facing a massive scandal, her case is getting recognized nationally.

She filed the wrongful death lawsuit in federal court Thursday, arguing that her husband died at the hospital soon after deputies shocked him with a stun gun.

She spoke with the Associated Press, saying, "It's been a hard year not knowing what happened to my husband," before praising the "persistent and brave" efforts of the reporters from the local newspaper who worked to find out more about her husband's arrest and death.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Full recording of McCurtain County Sheriff, Commissioners discussing killing reporter, publisher - The Oklahoman