Ronan and Hinkle: Union attorney summarizes arbitration awards

Lawton city officials still have the option to appeal the arbitrators decision.
Published: Jun. 7, 2023 at 5:09 PM CDT

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The union attorney for Nathan Ronan and Robert Hinkle has shared part of what the arbitration awards say, and what they mean for the former officers.

The City of Lawton released a statement Tuesday expressing their disappointment with the arbitrators decisions, but didn’t explicitly state what the decision was. Ronan and Hinkle’s union attorney, Patrick Hunt, contacted 7News and shared some further details on the case.

According to Hunt, the awards call for the reinstatement of the former officers to the Lawton Police Department after two different arbitrators found the pair acted within their training.

The awards reportedly call for the reinstatement of Ronan 30 days from the awards date, but do not specify a return date for Hinkle. If reinstated, both men will receive back pay for the time they were unemployed.

Hunt added the awards have no impact on the criminal legal battle.

The arbitrators decisions are not official yet though. Lawton city officials still have the option to appeal them. According to Tuesday’s statement they are “reviewing all options” to do so.

You can count on your 7News team to bring you more as we follow this story.