{"id":30833,"date":"2018-10-04T17:35:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T22:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=30833"},"modified":"2018-10-26T10:41:06","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T15:41:06","slug":"district-attorney-defeat-could-bring-drug-court-to-one-of-the-only-counties-without-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2018\/10\/04\/district-attorney-defeat-could-bring-drug-court-to-one-of-the-only-counties-without-one\/","title":{"rendered":"District attorney defeat could bring drug court to one of the only counties without one"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_30835\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-30835 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-1920x1280.jpg\" alt=\"Angie White speaks on the phone in her office.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Angie-White-1620x1080.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angie White said while she&#8217;s afraid her brother will go to jail, she will feel some relief if she knows where he is.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/509670285&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p><p>Addiction is a bitter enemy that has haunted Angie White\u2019s family for decades. White has watched her 49-year-old brother struggle with drug abuse most of his life.<\/p><p>\u201cWe have birthdays without him,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have holidays without him. It\u2019s hard on my mom and dad. They miss him more than anyone.\u201d<\/p><p>White said her brother is missing out on his family\u2019s lives. One thing that hurts her the most: She doesn\u2019t even know where her brother is.<\/p><p>\u201cCurrently he has missed a court date, and as a result of that he has an outstanding warrant,\u201d White said. \u201cHe\u2019s just basically on the run.\u201d<\/p><p>White thinks her brother could\u2019ve changed if he\u2019d gone to an alternative criminal court known as a <a href=\"https:\/\/ok.gov\/odmhsas\/Substance_Abuse\/Oklahoma_Drug_and_Mental_Health_Courts\/Adult_Drug_Court\/index.html\">drug court.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>What is drug court?<\/h3><p>Drug courts are courts geared toward people whose crimes stem from addiction. Participants plead guilty but aren\u2019t sent to prison if they graduate and avoid commiting new crimes.<\/p><p>White lives in Pawnee County, one of the only counties in Oklahoma without a drug court. Past attempts to set up a drug court in Pawnee County were stalled after a feud between a judge and a district attorney whose recent Republican primary loss may give local officials an opening to create their first drug court.<\/p><p>White says her brother needs what drug court requires: Rehab, personal accountability and drug testing. Participants are also often taught how to manage stress and anger.<\/p><p>White still has hope that her brother can be helped but said he\u2019s running out of time to change. She believes drug court can be even more transformative for people who are caught early in their addiction. She said they can learn how to cope with their personal challenges and find a better way of life.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>White\u2019s support for a drug court is a big reason she voted against the district attorney she said worked to block the county from starting one in recent years.<\/p>\n<h3>First drug court stalled<\/h3><p>Pawnee County Associate District Judge Patrick Pickerill is a drug court believer<i>. <\/i>He said his community needs a drug court and is the only county outside of the panhandle without one.<\/p><p>\u201cPeople are out there committing crimes to try to support their drug habit,\u201d Pickerill said. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_30836\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-30836\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2018\/10\/Judge-Pickerill-1920x1183.jpg\" alt=\"Judge Pickerill stands behind his desk in his courthouse office. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1183\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Judge Patrick Pickerill said bringing drug court to Pawnee County is a campaign promise he made years ago and wants to fulfill.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Pickerill started work on a drug court in 2014. He helped negotiate a drug court contract with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services \u2014 and he helped secure a $12,854 grant to get things started. Those efforts were stalled by the district attorney for Osage and Pawnee Counties, Sand Springs Republican Rex Duncan.<\/p><p>State law says district attorneys must give permission before a defendant can be diverted into drug court. Pickerill said Duncan didn\u2019t approve any of Pawnee County&#8217;s initial drug court applications.<\/p><p>Duncan did not respond to multiple interview requests. But he explained<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theclevelandamerican.com\/opinion\/editorials\/the-ground-truth-about-pawnee-county-drug-court\/article_024bbd97-3e7e-5be1-8039-1d32021fd7be.html\"> in a 2015 newspaper article why his office did not support a drug court<\/a>. He said Pawnee County didn\u2019t have enough eligible defendants to justify a special drug court and he said state taxpayers would have to foot the bill.<\/p><p>Pickerill said after the drug court contract was signed and the funding was in place, Duncan called him to share his thoughts.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u201c(He) simply told me he didn\u2019t feel that he had enough staff to handle drug court and decided that we weren\u2019t going to have a drug court in Pawnee County,\u201d Pickerill said. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The DA took the judge to court<\/h3><p>Pickerill disagreed. He said Pawnee County does have enough defendants to justify drug court. Since county residents are already paying taxes, Pickerill said they might as well reap the benefits their taxes buy. Some local officials told StateImpact there was significant local support for the drug court.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>But the years-long effort to set up a drug court in Pawnee County was quickly overshadowed by a long court battle between Pickerill and DA Duncan.<\/p><p>Pickerill said he asked Duncan, \u201c\u2018Can we both think about this and pray about this for a couple of days?\u2019 Never did get any contact back.\u201d<\/p><p>Pickerill said the answer came in a grand jury subpoena.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Duncan asked a grand jury to indict the judge and two others for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oscn.net\/dockets\/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=pawnee&number=CF-2015-00160&cmid=153077\">committing a long list of crimes<\/a> in the quest to set up a drug court. At the root of the allegations was an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/courts\/pawnee-county-judge-patrick-pickerill-indicted-by-oklahoma-s-multicounty\/article_0649991c-ef0e-5071-8316-ee6185e082e2.html\"> assertion that Pickerill falsely dated court documents<\/a>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Pickerill called the charges, \u201cabsolutely ridiculous.\u201d<\/p><p>The state <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theclevelandamerican.com\/news\/cases-dismissed-against-pawnee-county-judge-bailiff\/article_486c0fbc-c4c7-11e7-89e0-1f1b31cc24f3.html\">Attorney General\u2019s office later dismissed the charges<\/a>. But the drug court idea was dead.<\/p>\n<h3>New opportunity<\/h3><p>Pickerill accepted that as long as Duncan was the district attorney, there couldn\u2019t be a drug court.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>That\u2019s why now, Pickerill and other drug court proponents, could have a new chance. Voters ousted Duncan in a landslide primary loss to Skiatook Republican Mike Fisher. Fisher used to work for Duncan as an assistant district attorney. Fisher now has no opponent and said he plans to support a Pawnee County drug court when he takes office in January.<\/p><p>Pickerill praised Fisher\u2019s skill as an attorney and said people elected him because he\u2019s qualified. But he suspects the incoming DA\u2019s support for drug court also helped.<\/p><p>Fisher\u2019s election is welcome news for Angie White.<\/p><p>This election season, White shared her confidence in Fisher in Facebook posts and conversations with friends and family. She has also publicly pushed for drug court.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Next year, she and Judge Pickerill\u2019s long-deferred dream to see a drug court in Pawnee County may finally happen. Pickerill plans to oversee new drug court cases shortly after the new district attorney takes office.<\/p><p>\u201cI am just hopeful we\u2019ll finally get one,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A judge&#8217;s promise to bring a drug court to Pawnee County eventually led to a legal dispute with a district attorney who said the county couldn&#8217;t support drug court. The DA&#8217;s primary election loss may pave the way for a new attempt to bring the county a drug court. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":30836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[973,762,766,971,970,972],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30833"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30833"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30846,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30833\/revisions\/30846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}