Family seeks release of convicted Oklahoma ex-reserve deputy

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The family of a former Oklahoma reserve deputy convicted of killing an unarmed man in Tulsa is seeking his release from prison because of his age, health and alleged assassination attempts.
Two requests to commute the four-year prison sentence of 75-year-old Robert Bates have been denied by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.
In letters to the board and a district court judge, Bates’ daughter Leslie McCrary says Bates was attacked by other inmates and that he spent 23 hours a day confined in a prison in Lexington.
Prison spokesman Alex Gerszewski told the Tulsa World  that both claims are untrue.
Bates was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in the April 2015 shooting death of Eric Harris when he mistakenly used his gun instead of his stun gun.