Pittsburg County Commissioners held a special meeting Thursday afternoon to accept the resignation of former Sheriff Chris Morris.
Morris, suspended with pay in June 2024, faced charges of embezzlement of state property and two counts of bribery. The charges stem from allegations he sold a personally owned utility vehicle to the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office and arranged free repairs on a personal vehicle in exchange for additional work on county-owned vehicles. The Commissioners came to a settlement agreement in June 2024 with Morris that he would resign at the end of his term in January of 2025.
In his resignation letter, Morris referred to his departure as “retirement” and requested his service weapon, badge, and embroidered office chair. However, the board made it clear they would not accept his resignation as a retirement, citing Oklahoma State Statutes Title 71 901 et seq., which states elected or appointed officials must be at least 62 years old to retire if appointed or elected after Nov. 1, 2011 outlined by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System.
Here is Commissioner Ross Selman going into further detail on that decision..
In his letter, Morris said he planned to “pursue and focus on personal goals and business for a while,” but intends to run for office again soon.
Former interim Sheriff Frankie McClendon was sworn in by Judge Mindy Beare and will serve as acting sheriff. A special election will be held for McClendon, but he will continue to hold the title of County Sheriff until then.
Frankie McClendon Being Sworn in by Judge Beare