Officer in McCurtain County accused of pointing gun, making racist remarks at resident

Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman
Updated ·2 min read
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HAWORTH — An off-duty Haworth police officer is being accused of feloniously pointing a firearm and making racist remarks toward a steel-distributing company employee in McCurtain County.

The officer, 59, surrendered himself Thursday to the McCurtain County sheriff's office, according to Gerald Davidson, interim public information officer with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

As first reported by the McCurtain Gazette-News, an adult male was working at Alford Metals in Idabel on April 24, when the officer allegedly pulled up in a truck, pointed a rifle at him, and yelled a racial epithet, saying, "Run, (expletive), run!"

The McCurtain County Courthouse sits on the north end of Central Avenue in downtown Idabel.
The McCurtain County Courthouse sits on the north end of Central Avenue in downtown Idabel.

The Alford Metals employee told the officer he would call the police, but the officer replied, "They're already here," according to a sworn statement from an OSBI agent and cited by the McCurtain Gazette-News.

A witness told OSBI the truck the officer was driving had approached the business "at a high rate of speed," after which the officer emerged from the truck, yelling about a "mouthy mother (expletive)" and pointing his rifle at the employee.

More: Federal lawsuits portray McCurtain County sheriff's office as cruel, callous

The victim and the witness told OSBI that the officer said, "You've got a case now!"

OSBI were requested to investigate the incident because of the officer's law enforcement background, Davidson told The Oklahoman.

The McCurtain County sheriff's office is seen April 20 in Idabel.
The McCurtain County sheriff's office is seen April 20 in Idabel.

Haworth is roughly 10 miles outside of Idabel, the epicenter of an ongoing scandal involving current McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy and three other local officials, who were recorded allegedly discussing the lynching of Black people and plotting the killing of McCurtain Gazette-News journalists in early March.

In the wake of nationwide outcry, the OSBI, the Oklahoma attorney general's office and the FBI have all launched investigations into the McCurtain County sheriff's office. Only one accused official, former McCurtain County District 2 Mark Jennings, has resigned.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: McCurtain County officer under investigation for alleged racist threat