DA drops charges against preacher who participated in Julius Jones vigil
Misdemeanor charges against a prominent Black Oklahoma City preacher who was arrested during a 2021 prayer vigil for Julius Jones have been dropped.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater's office dropped charges against the Rev. Derrick Scobey "in the best interest of justice" on Dec. 13, according to court records.
Scobey, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in northeast Oklahoma City, was cited for obstructing an officer and impeding the roadway after a warning to disperse as he kneeled in prayer during a Julius Jones prayer vigil near the Governor's Mansion in November 2021. The event was held the night before the scheduled execution for Jones, who had been sent to death row in 2002 for the murder of Edmond businessman Paul Howell during a 1999 carjacking. Jones maintained his innocence over the years. A few hours before Jones was to be executed, Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Scobey is known as a community leader and he and Ebenezer Baptist are particularly recognized for partnering with the humanitarian aid organization World Vision to host free food, furniture and household goods distribution events. He is also one of the members of the Justice for Julius Jones Coalition started by minister and activist Cece Jones-Davis.
Scobey was recently appointed to the Oklahoma County jail trust and is currently seeking election to the position of Oklahoma County clerk. Prater could not be reached for comment on Monday.
The Dec. 13 dismissal of the charges against Scobey brings to a close a court battle that seemed to surprise clergy and community leaders who said the minister had been participating in peaceful vigil and protests that have long been part of the Christian faith tradition. The court case sparked a groundswell of support for Scobey, who retained local attorneys Joe White Jr. and his wife, Kate White. They provided legal counsel for him during a series of at least five court hearings that played out throughout much of 2022.
Ministers took to social media to show their support of Scobey. One Facebook post featured a picture of the preacher under the headline "Prosecuted for Prayer."
Early on, the minister rejected a plea deal from Prater's office which would have sentenced him to community service in exchange for a guilty plea. Joe White Jr. said Scobey's arrest and the subsequent criminal charges violated Scobey's right to peacefully protest under the First Amendment. And the minister's attorneys argued that law enforcement had already blocked the roadway in question.
Many clergy and community leaders flocked to the Oklahoma County Courthouse in support of the minister for Scobey's court hearings, with the crowd swelling to more than 100 supporters in several instances. The matter had made its way to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
On Monday, Scobey said he was grateful to Prater for dropping the charges.
"Words cannot express how much my heart is filled with gratitude that District Attorney David Prater made the decision to dismiss these charges," Scobey said in a statement. "Although I’ve had to continue with my life over this past year, please be assured that these pending misdemeanor charges have weighed heavily on me, my loving and supportive wife Angela, our children, our families, our church family, and so many others."
He said he entered the street in front of the Governor's Mansion on Nov. 17, 2021, "not as antagonist, or as an agitator but as a concerned and responsible citizen of Oklahoma pleading for the life of Julius Jones."
"Everything I did that day was done in a very prayerful, peaceful and planned manner," Scobey said.
The minister said he did not blame the Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers for placing him under arrest. He said they were polite, civil and considerate to him.
In his statement, Scobey thanked his attorneys, as well as other legal counsel including Charles Weddle III, Nick Porter and Matthew Cyran. He also thanked his northeast Oklahoma City church along with community members who supported him. The minister also expressed gratitude for Oklahoma County Special Judge Perry Hudson for the way he presided over the court hearings and for allowing community members to sit in the jury box so many of them could be in the courtroom. He also said McKenzie McMahan, Oklahoma County assistant district attorney, was "extremely professional" at each hearing.
"It was prayerful civil disobedience — I did not put myself in danger or anyone else," Scobey said Monday in a phone interview.
He said before he was taken to the county jail, law officers allowed him to speak to the large crowd at the vigil and he asked people to disperse, which they did. The minister said he had been concerned about possible violence as Jones' execution drew close.
"There was a man's life hanging in the balance, and I was concerned that our city and state was experiencing a powder keg," Scobey said.
Meanwhile, in November, despite the pending legal case, Prater and Scobey apparently saw eye to eye on another matter. At a heated jail trust meeting on Nov. 7, both men criticized then-jail trust administrator Greg Williams. Scobey called for Williams' ouster and Prater lambasted Williams for taking too long to investigate a rape at the jail. The jail trust did not terminate Williams at that meeting. He resigned from the post in early December.
Scobey and Prater were seen talking cordially together before the jail trust meeting, which may have caused some onlookers to speculate that the case against Scobey would be resolved soon in the minister's favor.
Prater is retiring after more than a decade as Oklahoma County district attorney. In November, voters elected Vicki Behenna as Oklahoma County's next district attorney ― the first female in that post — and she is set to take office in January.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: DA's office drops charges against the Rev. Derrick Scobey
