The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) is officially investigating allegations that nude images were displayed on a television during a closed session of the State School Board meeting, in the office of State Superintendent Ryan Walters. A report by KFOR indicates that OCSO spokesperson Aaron Brilbeck confirmed the investigation, stating, "We're looking into it."
These allegations came to light after State School Board members Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson claimed to have witnessed explicit content on a screen in Walters' office. As News 9 reports, Walters has categorically denied the accusations, asserting, "Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false." The investigation, which was requested by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), intends to uncover whether a crime occurred.
Response from various lawmakers has been swift and bipartisan. Rep. Cyndi Munson expressed seriousness of the situation, adding, "We’ve got to be thorough and get this resolved and then follow through with whatever the law allows us to do," as told to News 9. The House Speaker was also brought into the loop, which led to the request for the sheriff’s office to take up the investigation.
While the investigation is in its early stages, the specifics of the process remain unclear. The Sheriff's Office has yet to outline the exact steps they will take, but they are in the process of gathering information. An unusual detail, however, is the choice to involve the OCSO over the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which typically oversees the State Capitol complex. Brilbeck added in an interview with KFOR, "We just don’t know whether there was any criminal activity."
Walters maintains his innocence in the matter, as reported by KOCO 5, and it remains to be seen what the investigation will reveal about the allegations and how they have come to pass.
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