IN CASE YOU CANT GET THE PAPER, HERE IS THE ARTICLE....CLAREMORE – District Attorney Janice Steidley has asked a district judge to convene a grand jury to investigate officials in Rogers County, she said Friday. District Judge Terry McBride of the 12th Judicial District received a letter Thursday from Steidley, who was among the targets of a grand jury petition rejected Tuesday by a Tulsa County judge. Article II of the Oklahoma Constitution (Section 18) states that a district judge can convene a grand jury if he finds merit to the request. We have always been for transparency in our office and all government offices, said Steidley, head prosecutor for Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties, in a statement. There are a myriad of issues that should be looked into by a grand jury that were not listed on the earlier grand jury petition that was dismissed. We decided to request this grand jury to shine light on all the parties involved and let the truth come out. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. On Tuesday, Tulsa County District Judge Jefferson Sellers dismissed the petition to impanel the grand jury, ruling that the sponsors obtained signatures on unauthorized and unapproved signature forms. His action followed a motion filed by an attorney representing Steidley and two of her prosecutorial assistants. The petition made numerous allegations against Steidley, Assistant District Attorneys Bryce Lair and David Iski, and other Rogers County officials, including accusations of witness tampering, wire tapping, threats, false reporting of criminal activity and fraud. The petition was brought by Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton and two Claremore police officers, among others. We want a grand jury investigation that is lawful and looking into real issues, not one that is supported by baseless accusations and slander in an attempt to forward political motivations and agendas, Steidley said in the statement. We want to show the people of Rogers County that their district attorney’s office is one they can have confidence in. Steidley filed a defamation lawsuit against the petitioners this week, saying the language in the grand jury petition libeled her, Iski and Lair.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 20:11:23 +0000
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