Sheriff’s removal petition to be heard

Image
  • Sheriff’s removal petition to be heard
    Sheriff’s removal petition to be heard
Body

The case to decide a petition to seek the removal of Cotton County Sheriff Kent Simpson will be decided by a jury in October.

Court records indicate that Simpson’s trial will begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 1.

The Cotton County Board of Commissioners filed a petition June 10 to seek Simpson’s removal from office for accusations of willfully and habitually, “with bad or evil purpose,” neglecting duties.

The case will be presided over by Associate District Judge Michael C. Flanagan. Assistant District Attorney Taren Lord-Halverson is serving as attorney representing the Cotton County Commissioners. Michael D. Denton Jr., of Mustang, is representing the sheriff’s office and Austin C. Walters, of Mustang, is representing Simpson.

Simpsonsucceededlongtime Cotton County Sheriff Paul Jeffrey in 2013. Following his suspension from duty, interim Sheriff Tim King has served in the position.

No criminal charges have been filed against Simpson; however, the District Attorney’s Office has indicated that misdemeanor or felony charges could potentially be filed at a later date.

Records indicate that a pre-trial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 12.

The original petition filed June 10 to seek the removal of Cotton County Sheriff Kent Simpson listed accusations of the sheriff neglecting duties. Undersheriff/Jail Administrator Bobby Sparks is also named for allegations of impropriety.

Specific allegations filed June 10:

•Failure to make reports of domestic violence calls as required by law, as well as failures in reporting other crimes.  

•Failure to make a report of crimes alleged against a man from July 2017, along with allegations of unlawful seizure of money and property and of entering the wrong information into the consent to search form.

•Failure to report/follow up on the investigation into the May 2018 burglary of electronics from Big Pasture School.  

•Sparks is accused of misusing his authority to hire jail employees and of hiring his daughter as the jail administration assistant and her spouse as a jailer.

•Sparks also is accused of issuing a directive to officers on Dec. 31, to “Being reactive just take calls against department policies regarding DUI/DWI/APC enforcement and countermeasure programs.

•Dereliction of duty after a victim had filed numerous formal complaints over the course of several months with Sparks and no action being taken.  

•Another complaint from July 2018 involved a woman who contacted Simpson regarding allegations of contractor fraud. Charges have never been filed nor a report made.

Amended allegations submitted to the court July 31:

•Between May 13 and 22, Simpson is alleged to have allowed a man with a felony Cotton County warrant for unauthorized use of motor vehicle stay at Simpson’s rent home located in the county and to keep a stolen vehicle while at the home.

•Between August 2018 and Jan. 10, Simpson is accused of refusing to allow police to arrest his son, Travis Simpson, 40, despite him living on the sheriff’s property and having five outstanding felony county warrants. He also is accused of refusing to aid a deputy in making the Jan. 10 arrest of Travis Simpson.

•Once Travis Simpson was arrested and in jail, the sheriff is accused of allowing two women to have unsupervised visits with his son, causing him to be moved out of his jail’s custody and to the Comanche County Detention Center.

•Simpson is alleged of negligence in updating the sex offender registry list as well as failing to keep an inventory list of evidence held by his department as well as of the department’s weapons cache.

•On May 12, Simpson allegedly brought his wife’s unidentified prescription medicine to an inmate at the jail for his personal use.

Through his lawyer, Austin C. Walters, Simpson submitted an affirmative defense to the petition on June 24.

•Simpson asserts that it is the commissioners’ burden to prove their allegations and claimed his actions have been “lawful, justified and undertaken in good faith.

•“To the extent, if any, the Board’s claims have any such merit and it has suffered any damages and/ or losses, such damages or losses were the result of its own conduct and/or omissions (i.e. failure to adequately fund the Sheriff’s Department).”