Call For Grand Jury Investigation Nears Deadline

An effort to launch a grand jury investigation into Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services must meet a deadline on Friday, Jan. 10, according to its organizers.

Launched in October, the initiative is backed by the Oklahoma NAACP, Oklahomans for Children’s Rights, and republican State Rep. Justin “JJ” Humphrey.

Lynda Steele, an activist volunteering on behalf of the effort and a previous candidate for Oklahoma Attorney General, stood in Scissortail Park for several hours on Friday to gather signatures for the petition requesting the grand jury.

“We want to see them get 1,000 signatures on Saturday,” she said, referencing an event held Saturday at the capitol with Humphrey. “And then we’ll be back out here on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. We want to get another thousand signatures on Sunday.”

In all, organizers are seeking 5,000 signatures. The original petition laid out 10 allegations against the state agency, ranging from failure to report the abuse of children to conspiracy to sully court cases.

“We need an overhaul on how we fund DHS,” Steele added. “We need somebody to look into the intent of the actions of judges, mainly of the GALs, which are guardian Ad Litems.”

Previously, the Department of Human Services said it was committed to transparency and would cooperate with any investigation into the agency.