Former City Manager Request Tapes be Destroyed

OWASSO, Okla. (AP) – A memo by the former city manager in Owasso sought to purge two videotapes from a traffic stop in which the city’s vice mayor was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Vice Mayor Chris Kelley was pulled over in February but was not arrested. Instead, the Tulsa World reports a police officer drove him home.

In April, then-City Manager Rodney Ray wrote a memo saying the videotapes of the traffic stop should be deleted from the record. The newspaper obtained copies of the tapes from the police department and posted the video online.

Assistant City Manager Sherry Bishop says Ray wanted to protect Kelley’s reputation by having the video records purged.

Ray resigned in June after the City Council ordered an independent investigation into his office.