Oklahoma County Clerk David Hooten resigns, vows to continue run for state treasurer
David B. Hooten resigned Friday as Oklahoma County Clerk while continuing to deny allegations of sexual harassment stemming from a unsettling recorded conversation between Hooten and the employees.
Hooten issued a letter of resignation Friday morning after announcing plans to step down late Thursday.
The full text of the letter states:
"Citizens of Oklahoma County, I David B. Hooten hereby announce my resignation from office. Although, I deny the allegations, I believe it is in the best interest of my family and myself to step down. I have led this office with integrity and honor, and I have worked very hard to make sure that every tax dollar is accounted for. This is not a reflection of my office and I ask for the privacy of my family."
Hooten said he planned to continue his campaign for state treasurer despite his decision to resign from his role as county clerk.
The Oklahoma County clerk is responsible for maintaining records pertaining to city charters, military discharges and land records, including oil, gas and mineral leases, for property throughout the state. The office also maintains the county's financial records.
With Hooten's resignation, chief deputy Danny Lambert, who also serves as finance director in the county clerk's office, will take over in the interim, according to officials.
In an email Lambert said, "While I cannot comment on the recent personnel matters, I am fully confident our office will continue to provide the public services for which we are responsible, in a manner the people deserve and expect."
District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan said he remitted Hooten's resignation to Gov. Kevin Stitt after receiving it Friday morning. Maughan said that state law dictates the governor must now call a special election to fill the vacancy.
The resignation came as county commissioners were poised to vote Tuesday to allow District Attorney David Prater to file a petition to remove Hooten from office.
"It is for the best that Hooten is resigning," District 3 Commissioner Kevin Calvey said in a statement Thursday.
District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert issued a statement Friday saying she was "disturbed" by Hooten's actions. Blumert also said she had interactions with Hooten that were "inappropriate and harassing in nature."
"With today's resignation of Mr. Hooten, I am grateful that the employees in the County Clerk's office will no longer fear coming to work and can begin the healing process resulting from their experiences during Mr. Hooten's time in office," Blumert said. "No employee, in any setting, should be subject to that kind of treatment."
What led to David Hooten's resignation?
Hooten came under fire when an investigation into sexual harassment was launched by the sheriff's office in response to complaints from two female employees.
In a recording of a meeting between the women and Hooten, he can be heard discussing a proposed team-building trip.
"I'm not going to tell you what we're going to do, but we're going to do a bunch of things that may seem strange," Hooten said. "The whole thing is about trust and it's about taking you to your limits as far as what your fears are, and I'm going to take you to the edge of what it is and we're going to do things that no one normally does."
Hooten did not reveal exactly what the planned experience would involve. He said the women would do things that were "very physical" and advised them to wear comfortable clothes, including sneakers and pants.
"Your body will be hurting the next day, it will be something that you've never felt before because you're going to use muscles that you've never used before," Hooten said.
Hooten continued in the recording and told the women there would be drinking and gambling on the outing along with a lot of things, some "fun" and some "scary."
"I've been genetically altered so that I don't get drunk no matter what. They've given me a chemical that changes your brain," Hooten said. "It actually won't have an effect on me but hopefully it has an effect on y'all."
Sheriff's investigators refer to Hooten's statements as "quite concerning."
In interviews with investigators, the women described a work environment prone to hostility and frustration caused by a lack of intervention by Hooten in complaints against their supervisor. They also raised concerns regarding their safety due to a possible "date rape situation" because of his statements about alcohol, according to the report.
"She feared, after hearing this statement, she was being forced into a situation where sexual assault of some nature was a possibility and because Mr. Hooten had threatened to fire her multiple times in the past, she could lose her job if she did not participate," the investigators' report states.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County Clerk David Hooten resigns amid sexual harassment probe
