Lawmakers Seek Judge’s Removal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Mike Ritze
Capitol: (405) 557-7338

OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers may consider removing a judge from office following a controversial sentencing decision.

House Resolution 1065, by state Reps. Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds, calls for the Oklahoma House of Representatives to petition the Trial Division of the Court on the Judiciary to assume jurisdiction and institute proceedings to remove District Judge Thomas Bartheld, Pittsburg County Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District, from office.

The resolution cites “gross neglect of duty” as the reason for removal.

“The people in Oklahoma must have confidence in the courts to deliver impartial justice,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “Clearly, that did not happen in this case and I have heard from many constituents who are outraged.”

“While it would be simpler and better if the governor or attorney general would step up and take this action, we have filed the resolution to ensure the process can move forward regardless,” said state Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.

David Harold Earls, 64, was recently sentenced to a year in prison for raping a four-year-old girl in Pittsburg County. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached by prosecutors and the defense attorney.

The sentence and Bartheld have received national attention and criticism as a result of the case.