Judge to decide sheriff's future following county board's petition filing
May 21—A judge will decide whether to suspend or remove Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris after county commissioners voted Monday to file a petition for judicial review.
Morris, 50, was charged May 14 with a felony count of embezzlement of state property in connection with the alleged sale of a UTV to the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Department, a move officials say personally benefited him.
Pittsburg County Commissioners voted to file an document titled "Accusation for removal of sheriff of Pittsburg County, Christopher Morris, by the Pittsburg County Board of County Commissioners." Signing the petition were District 1 Commissioner Charlie Rogers, District 2 Commissioner Sandra Crenshaw, and District 3 Commissioner and Chairman Ross Selman.
District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp, who is prosecuting the criminal case against Morris, will represent the commissioners during the removal proceedings. He also signed the petition. Morris is represented by McAlester-based attorney Warren Gotcher.
The petition states the board has the authority to bring action for the removal of a county officer under Oklahoma statutes, and that exclusive jurisdiction rests with the district court. Commissioners cited Oklahoma Title 22 O.S. § 1194, which allows county commissioners to present accusations and an action of removal against an officer before a court.
Oklahoma Title 22 O.S. § 1181 states that "any officer not subject to impeachment elected or appointed to any state, county, township, city, town or other office under the laws of the state" may be removed from office for "habitual or willful neglect of duty, gross partiality in office, oppression in office, corruption in office, extortion of willful overcharge of fees in office, willful misadministration, habitual drunkenness, or failure to produce and account for all public funds and property in his or her hands at any settlement or inspection."
The petition states habitual or willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, and willful maladministration apply in the accusation against Morris.
"Defendant Christopher Morris' acts were in contrary to a known duty, were inexcusably reckless in performing/failing to perform official duties; all of which constitute willful maladministration," the petition states.
The petition claims Morris neglected the duties of his office by failing to prevent crime after he misrepresented the condition of a Polaris UTV to a local dealership to obtain a higher trade-in value and admitting he removed items that added value, while knowing the sheriff's office could not purchase a used vehicle.
New accusations against Morris unveiled in the petition indicate he asked for and received a bribe "in an effort to procure a benefit upon himself."
The petition claims Morris asked a local mechanic shop to "upcharge" repair fees on two Pittsburg County Sheriff Office vehicles in exchange for a discount on a lift-kit for his personal UTV. The petition also states Morris received free repairs on his personal vehicle from a local body shop "for his promise to bring them more future business in repairing PCSO vehicles."
Although a criminal affidavit detailing the alleged crimes was filed with the petition, no criminal charges for receiving a bribe by a public officer have been filed against Morris as of Tuesday.
The petition states Morris "has willfully and habitually, with bad or evil purpose, neglected the duties of his office by deliberately acting/failing to act contrary to known duties or acing in an excusably reckless manner" after he signed an odometer disclosure falsifying the miles on a title that transferred ownership of the UTV from Morris to a local dealership when repair documents from showed a different mileage.
The board is asking the court to issue an order to immediately suspend Morris from office, pending further investigation and until the conclusion of the trial. The board said it reserves the right to amend the petition, since the matter remains under investigation.
Commissioners asked that a hearing on the petition be set "on the first day of this court's next available date of jury docket."
Records show all Pittsburg County judges have recused themselves from the case, so it will be reassigned by Creek County District Court Judge Kelly Hake.
