CHICKASHA — A Grady County commissioner faces five additional felony charges stemming from an embezzlement case that began last year, new court documents show.
Grady County Commissioner Michael Alan Walker faces two charges of unlawful use of communication, two charges of intimidation of a witness, and a charge of conspiracy after a special prosecutor said Walker spied on county employees who cooperated with law enforcement officials during an investigation of Walker last year.
In October 2021, Walker was charged with embezzlement. Prosecutors said he authorized about $30,000 worth of improvements to County Road 2927 — a private road. Walker pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Just about a month before prosecutors filed charges against Walker, on Sept. 22, 2021, his attorney, Doug Carel, filed a 17-page motion for discovery and inspection. That motion, court records show, included a request that the state disclose "the names, addresses and telephone numbers for persons having knowledge of the facts or relevant information concerning this case."
The motion also asked the state to disclose the identity, all known aliases, and the whereabouts of any person who supplied the state with confidential information, "which was based on his/her participation in the investigation or arrest of the defendant."
On Feb. 15, the special prosecutor handling Walker's case said Walker was spying on county employees who cooperated with the embezzlement investigation and ultimately fired those same employees in December.
Court records show the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Walker installed cameras and audio devices into the offices of office manager Janna Titler and county foreman Jeff Autry.
Bret Burns, an attorney representing Walker, told an Oklahoma City television station that Walker denied the new claims of witness intimidation and spying.
"To say that this video recording system was secret or illegal is an outright false allegation. The OSBI agent in charge of this case should be ashamed of herself for getting involved in an employment termination case," Burns wrote in an email to Oklahoma City television station News 9.
The embezzlement trial is scheduled for March. A preliminary hearing for the five new felony counts is set for April.