OKLAHOMA CITY – A preliminary hearing conference has been set for April 21 for a state and his wife after the pair were indicated by a grand jury last year for conspiracy against the state.
The hearing will be held in front of Special Judge James Siderias in Oklahoma County.
State Rep. Terry O’Donnell, a Republican from Catoosa, faces eight criminal charges ranging from the violation of a provision of law regulating official conduct and using access to computers to violate Oklahoma statutes to perjury by false certification and conspiracy against the state.
O’Donnell’s wife, Teresa, faces four criminal charges including perjury by false certification, violation of a provision of law regulating officials conduct, obtaining a thing of value exceeding $15,000 in value by false pretense and conspiracy against the state.
Bond for the lawmaker was set at $23,000. Teresa O’Donnell’s bond was set at $16,000.
O'Donnell and his wife both said they are innocent. He said the indictment was part of a personal vendetta.
In 2019, O’Donnell introduced legislation that eliminated a provision of law which prevented the spouses of lawmakers from serving as tag agents. About three months after the bill became law, Teresa O’Donnell was appointed to run the Catoosa Tag Agency. News stories at the time quoted O’Donnell saying that his wife had no intention of becoming a tag agent when he sponsored the legislation.
The indictment and subsequent changes forced O’Donnell to resign his leadership position as speaker pro tempore in Oklahoma House, though he continues to hold his House District 23 seat.