Pittsburg County sheriff charged with felony embezzlement, claims politics behind it

May 14—Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris claims a criminal charge filed against him Tuesday was "election interference" because the vote for that office is more than a month away.

Court records show Morris, 50, was charged 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 that benefited him.

Morris was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Pittsburg County Courthouse and appeared with his attorney, Warren Gotcher.

Associate District Judge Tim Mills presided over the arraignment before he was expected to join the other Pittsburg County District judges in recusing themselves from the case.

District 18 District Attorney Chuck Sullivan also recused himself with the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, assigning District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp to prosecute the case.

Morris was released on his own recognizance and ordered not to discuss details of the case with witnesses who have been endorsed by the state.

Thorp, who said he needed a warrant to be returned on Morris, requested that his investigator would ensure the supect was properly processed at the Pittsburg County Jail. Gotcher objected, stating it was a "special circumstance."

Mills said Morris, who was to be processed at the jail, could leave with Gotcher, accompanied by Thorp's investigator.

Morris said following his arraignment that the truth would come out.

"Election interference is not only happening in our great nation, but it is happening right here in Pittsburg County," Morris said. "I have absolutely done nothing wrong. This is an orchestrated event, planned to make me look bad just weeks before the election."

Thorp declined a full comment, but said Morris will be considered innocent until proved guilty.

A probable cause affidavit states the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was notified by Sullivan to assist in an embezzlement probe after he received information that Morris purchased a 2023 Polaris utility vehicle for his personal use. Morris purportedly traded in the vehicle later for a different UTV before purchasing the Polaris for the PCSO, allegedly circumventing state bidding requirements.

When the purchase order was reviewed by the county clerk, the clerk noted the invoice indicted the UTV was used when the state contract process required the vehicle to be new, the affidavit states.

The county clerk then contacted the dealership where the purchase order was from and informed them the UTV had to be in new condition. An employee said he would check on the vehicle before sending another invoice indicating the UTV was new, the report states.

According to the report, the county clerk noticed the sales price for the UTV was the same as the vehicle Morris was purchasing for himself. When the county clerk learned the vehicle purchased by PCSO was previously owned by Morris, it was reported to Sullivan.

Records obtained by investigators showed the Polaris was sold to PCSO for $31,099 — a price above the $30,799 original suggested retail price from the manufacturer, the report states.

The affidavit indicates bank records show Morris took out a loan in August 2023 with a payoff price of $28,568.38, which was satisfied in December 2023 by a new loan on the Can-Am through a separate bank. The investigator noted the Polaris was still being used as collateral to secure Morris' loan for approximately six weeks after the purchasing process began for PCSO.

During an interview with investigators, Morris admitted purchasing the Polaris for his personal use in 2023 before deciding he was not happy with it and wanted to trade it in for a Can-Am. Morris said he arranged with a local dealership to trade in his UTV for the Can-Am, and claimed it was worth more due to a lift-kit and other accessories installed on it, the affidavit states.

Morris denied the purchase for PCSO was part of the negotiations for him to buy the new Can-Am and said he did not decide to make the purchase until the dealership called him, asking if the wanted to sell his old vehicle to the county, the report states.

The sheriff, in the report, said the dealership paid off the loan on the Polaris after he traded it in and had taken out a new loan for the Can-Am before refinancing it at a different bank.

After bank records confirmed the refinance of the Can-Am, Morris said someone at the bank "must have made a mistake." He went on to blame the county clerk for having the dealership change the invoice from used to new, because he knew he was buying used, the affidavit states.

The employee at the dealership told investigators Morris and the dealership owner agreed to trade in the used Polaris for the Can-Am and the subsequent purchase of the used UTV for PCSO, and that he "only facilitated the paperwork" based on what he was told, the report states.

The dealership owner, during an interview, admitted he did give a higher trade-in value for the Polaris due to aftermarket work. He said he knew Morris wanted to buy the Polaris for PCSO and made the arrangements, the affidavit states.

The dealership owner held a state contract for the purchase of Polaris UTVs and knew "how the bidding process works," the affidavit said.

Investigators allege the aftermarket accessories on the Polaris were removed before the trade was made. They said the dealership owner did not know the items were removed because Morris retained the vehicle during the trade-in process and was only going off Morris' word. He said he would not have sold it for that amount to PCSO if he had known.

The OSBI, in a Tuesday statement, said the probe into Morris is ongoing and asked anyone with additional information to contact the agency at tips@osbi.gov or by calling 1-800-522-8017.