'No sexual misconduct ... occurred,' acting Pardon and Parole Board chairman says

The acting chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board said Tuesday he is not stepping down.

Ed Konieczny, 68, spoke out for the first time since he was identified last week as the retired Episcopalian bishop at the center of an unwanted physical contact complaint.

"To be direct, no sexual misconduct or inappropriate verbal comments occurred," Konieczny said. "I am committed to fulfilling my duties on the Pardon and Parole Board."

Making the complaint was Ayala Harris, an Oklahoman who was elected last year to serve as president of the Episcopal Church's House of Delegates.

In an Aug. 30 letter to delegates, she wrote she experienced "an incident of unwanted and non-consensual physical contact" on July 9, 2022, shortly after her election in Baltimore, Maryland.

More: Acting chairman of Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board accused of unwanted contact in Episcopal Church

"I was physically overpowered and lost bodily autonomy by a retired bishop waiting for my arrival to greet our colleagues in the House of Bishops. This, along with some accompanying inappropriate verbal statements, compelled me to submit a Title IV complaint," she wrote.

She explained she was writing the letter because a church attorney had recommended the matter for a pastoral response rather than discipline.

"If the president-elect of our House and deputy chair of the Legislative Committee on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, and Safeguarding can experience unsafe treatment right at the door of the House of Bishops during the General Convention, then who in our church can truly be safe?" she wrote. "If there is no discipline for well-documented violations, then under what circumstances would discipline be imposed?"

She did not identify the retired bishop in her letter but church leaders confirmed Sept. 5 it was Konieczny.

How acting Pardon and Parole Board chairman has responded

His statement Tuesday did not go into details. He did call articles about the matter incomplete and inaccurate. He said he was speaking out now because confidentiality restrictions have been lifted.

He also said the church's Title IV process is intended to "resolve conflicts by promoting healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life, and reconciliation among all involved or affected." He confirmed a church attorney "determined a pastoral response was warranted in lieu of disciplinary action."

The five-member Pardon and Parole Board met Monday and Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The board next meets Oct. 9.

Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Konieczny to the board in January 2022 after the board chairman resigned. The governor reappointed him this year to serve four more years.

Konieczny has spoken with the governor's office about the complaint, Konieczny's attorney said.

Stitt "has confidence in his continued service," the governor's communications director said Tuesday.

Konieczny retired as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma in January 2021 after more than 13 years in that role. He also is a former police officer, serving from 1975 to 1992 in California, according to a news release about his 2022 appointment.

Why the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has come under scrutiny

The Pardon and Parole Board has come under more public scrutiny since Oklahoma resumed executions in October 2021 after a hiatus of more than six years.

The board votes on all death row inmate requests for mercy. The governor has the final say but can only act if the board recommends clemency. The next clemency hearing is set for Nov. 8.

More: AG asks US Supreme Court for new trial for death row inmate Richard Glossip

Richard Glossip, the state's most high-profile death row inmate, sued the board in April. He is asking an Oklahoma County judge to declare his last clemency hearing void on fairness grounds.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board chairman Ed Konieczny will not resign