Small Town Caught On Tape Sheriff

In April 2023, a revelatory audio clip was made public by a duo of father-son journalists hailing from southeast Oklahoma. This recording created a wave of anxiety and provoked widespread concerns, revealing county officials engaging in discussions about the potential harm to journalists and making racially offensive comments about African Americans. This alarming audio clip laden with racially-charged language and veiled threats was purportedly disseminated by a local newspaper in Oklahoma, The McCurtain Gazette. The fallout from the release of this startling audio recording saw one commissioner relinquishing his role, yet the sheriff remained unyielding, refusing to step down. However, this is not where the actual issue originates. We invite you to remain with us and continue reading this article to the end to uncover the details of the involving a small-town sheriff, all caught on tape. Scroll further to continue.

Small Town Caught On Tape Sheriff

Bruce Willingham and Chris Willingham, a father-son journalism team, operate their family-run newspaper, “The McCurtain Gazette”. In this setup, Bruce, the father, assumes the role of publisher, while his son Chris takes on the mantle of reporter. With a dedicated focus on law enforcement and county courthouse affairs, they have kept the community informed about the events unfolding in Idabel, Oklahoma. Bruce, at the age of 68, and Chris, at 40, continue to keep the public abreast of the local happenings.

The McCurtain Gazette gained notoriety when its editor, Bruce, managed to capture the commissioner’s inappropriate after-hour meetings on record. Bruce initially attempted four times to record these covert meetings. His initial attempts were thwarted as his clandestine voice recorder, disguised as a ballpoint pen and positioned on the table, was inadvertently taken by someone else. Not deterred, Bruce acquired another, more discreet recorder roughly the size of two postage stamps. He effectively concealed this device and left it powered on during the after-hour meetings.

On his fourth attempt, Bruce was found in the act of recording the commissioner. He recounted the incident to PEOPLE, stating, “They discovered that I was planting the device. And at that point, they tried to have me arrested.” However, the District Attorney refrained from charging Bruce, as his act of leaving a recording device was within his legal rights.

On March 6, Bruce listened to the audio captured by his concealed microphone. He was taken aback by the alarming remarks made by county officials. “It was just completely appalling. I went back and listened to it two or three times. I was just flabbergasted,” Bruce exclaimed. In the recording made public by The McCurtain Gazette, county officials including Sheriff’s Investigator Alicia Manning, then-McCurtain Co. Commissioner Mark Jennings, and McCurtain Co. Sheriff Kevin Clardy were caught making racially derogatory comments and issuing death threats. The recording features Commissioner Jennings stating, “I’m gonna tell you something. If it was back in the day when [former sheriff] Alan Marston would take a damn Black guy and whoop their a– and throw him in the cell? I’d run for f—— sheriff.”