A local official in Oklahoma who allegedly discussed killing reporters and lynching Black people has resigned from his office, according to the state's Governor Kevin Stitt.
McCurtain County Commissioner Mark Jennings resigned on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the governor's office. He sent a handwritten letter to the governor's office, saying he planned to resign immediately and indicating he planned to release a formal statement "in the near future regarding the recent events in our county," according to the Associated Press.
Mr Jennnings and other county officials were allegedly recorded following a 6 March meeting. The recordings were sent to the McCurtain Gazette-News, which made a transcript of its findings available this week.
The recordings were met with outrage across social media and locally in the city of Idabel, which serves as the county's seat.
The county sheriff's office has not directly addressed the details of the conversation, but has complained that the recordings were obtained illegally. Oklahoma is a one-party consent state, meaning only one recording party needs to consent in order to legally capture a discussion or phone call, though the actual legality of how the audio was captured is unclear.
Sheriff Kevin Clardy and one of his subordinates, Alicia Manning, were among those allegedly captured on the recording.
Mr Jennings, the law enforcement officials, and the city's Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix were reportedly recorded discussing how they could kill and dispose of the bodies of the publisher of the Gazette-News, Bruce Willingham, and his son, Chris, who works as a reporter at the paper.
Mr Jennings can allegedly be heard telling Ms Manning that he knows "where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them."
Mr Clardy reportedly responds that he's "got an excavator."
Mr Jennings then allegedly says that he's known "two or three hit men" in Louisiana who are "very quiet guys."
The conversation eventually turned to speculating on who might challenge Mr Clardy for the sheriff's position in upcoming elections, to which Mr Jennings reportedly said he knew a sheriff who “would take a damned Black guy and whoop their a** and throw them in the cell.”
Mr Clardy reportedly lamented that its "not like that no more," a sentiment Mr Jennings shared.
“I know,” Mr Jennings allegedly said. “Take them down to Mud Creek and hang them up with a damned rope. But you can’t do that anymore. They’ve got more rights than we’ve got.”
Mr Willingham admitted to recording the conversation by leaving a voice recorder behind after the meeting. He left the recorder because he suspected the county officials were continuing to conduct business outside of normal meeting parameters, which would violate the state's Open Meeting Act.
Many states have laws dictating when official business can be discussed, which often include mandatory announcements to ensure the public can attend those meetings. Some laws restrict the number of public officials that can meet and discuss at any time without first alerting the public.
The newspaper publisher said he met with attorneys twice to ensure he was not breaking the law.
The Gazette-News had published stories critical of the sheriff's department in the past, in particular after the the death of Bobby Barrick, who died after deputies shot him with a stun gun. The paper sued the department for body camera footage and other records related to the death.
Chris Willingham also sued the sheriff's department, alleging Ms Manning slandered him in retaliation for an eight-part series he wrote detailing problems inside the department. The lawsuit claims Ms Manning told an individual that Christ Willingham traded marijuana for child sex abuse materials from a man who had been arrest on similar charges.
Members of the public have been gathering outside the McCurtain County Courthouse since the recordings were reported on calling for the sheriff and other officials to resign.
The Oklahoma Sheriff's Association held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and voted unanimously to suspend Mr Clardy, Ms Manning, and Mr Hendrix from the group.
