Okla. Deputy’s Lawyer: We’re Unaware Of Investigation From ‘6 Or 7 Years Ago’

This Tuesday, April 14, 2015 photo provided by the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office shows Robert Bates. The 73-year-old Oklahoma reserve sheriff's deputy, who authorities said fatally shot a suspect after con... This Tuesday, April 14, 2015 photo provided by the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office shows Robert Bates. The 73-year-old Oklahoma reserve sheriff's deputy, who authorities said fatally shot a suspect after confusing his stun gun and handgun, was booked into the county jail Tuesday on a manslaughter charge. Bates surrendered to the Tulsa County Jail and was released after posting $25,000 bond. (Tulsa County Sheriff's Office via AP) MORE LESS
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A lawyer for the white Oklahoma reserve sheriff’s deputy charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man told TPM on Monday that he was unaware of an previous internal investigation into the deputy’s training records.

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz was asked earlier Monday during a news conference whether his agency would take a hard look at allegations that supervisors falsified reserve deputy Robert Bates’ training records. Those allegations were reported by The Tulsa World newspaper, citing multiple anonymous sources.

“I think we did at the time the accusations were made,” Glanz said in response to the question from a reporter, adding that it was “six or seven years ago.”

But Corbin Brewster, one of Bates’ defense attorneys, told TPM in an email that he was “unaware of any accusations raised 6-7 years ago.”

In the news conference, Glanz also made reference to an investigation that he said was carried out a couple years ago by former Undersheriff Brian Edwards. Glanz told an inquiring reporter that the investigation involved Bates’ records.

“We have spoken with Mr. Edwards,” Brewster wrote in the email to TPM. “He assured us that the anonymously sourced accusations by the Tulsa World—that Mr. Bates’s training records were falsified and supervisors were transferred as a result—were untrue. If there was any investigation conducted in order to reach that conclusion, I do not know.”

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  1. …If there was any investigation conducted in order to reach that conclusion, I do not know."

    You see, we been storing our files on them Parma, Missouri computers. And apparently they just had their computers cleaned.

  2. Geez. Thanks Obama. If that colored man in the WHITE house would’ve provided money for more bars, and stars instead of czars this wouldn’t have happened. Prisons and Police is what is needed. Then we wouldn’t have to rely on wealthy white guys to help police the nigras. /snark/

  3. Avatar for jw1 jw1 says:

    “He assured us that the anonymously sourced accusations by the Tulsa World—that Mr. Bates’s training records were falsified and supervisors were transferred as a result—were untrue. If there was any investigation conducted in order to reach that conclusion, I do not know.”

    Very expensive legal-weasel-words.
    Getting thicker by the day.

    jw1

  4. Wait, what?

    "We have spoken with Mr. Edwards," Brewster wrote in the email to TPM. "He assured us that the anonymously sourced accusations by the Tulsa World—that Mr. Bates’s training records were falsified and supervisors were transferred as a result—were untrue. If there was any investigation conducted in order to reach that conclusion, I do not know."

    So Mr. Edwards said they’re untrue, but you’re not aware of any investigation? So some dude says “Nah, it didn’t happen”, and we all go home happy without an investigation?

    And where does this leave the sheriff?

  5. Like I said elsewhere…something is very rotten in Tulsa.

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