Drummond disappointed by Gov. Stitt veto of bill aimed at public safety by correcting lapse in legal system

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 12, 2025) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond said he is disappointed but not surprised by Gov. Stitt’s veto of a measure that would have corrected a gap in the legal process that can allow dangerous individuals to be released from state custody without a hearing.

Senate Bill 1089 would have established a process to ensure a defendant who has not achieved competency restoration cannot be released into the public without proper notification of prosecutors and victims. Authored by state Sen. Paul Rosino and state Rep. Mark Lawson, it passed unanimously out of both legislative chambers before reaching the Governor’s desk.

“The Governor’s veto, I fear, reflects his continued lack of understanding regarding the issue of competency,” Drummond said. “When individuals who have committed violent acts have never been adjudicated because they’ve been deemed incompetent, it is inappropriate at best and dangerous at worst for these sorts of decisions to be determined solely by clinicians. Public safety hangs in the balance, which makes this veto so concerning.”

Under the current process, it has been possible for dangerous individuals to be released into communities without being held accountable for their alleged crimes.

A dramatic example of this phenomenon came in 2022 involving a man accused of murdering four people, including an infant, in 2013. The man, who had been deemed incompetent to stand trial for the slayings, was on the cusp of being let go by Griffin Memorial Hospital when it came to the attention of the Oklahoma County district attorney, who quickly refiled murder charges to prevent the release.

In some cases, prosecutors have had to refile murder charges up to three times after the accused was released.