Oklahoma DA Allan Grubb stepping down after being accused of corruption

SHAWNEE — The district attorney of Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties quit Friday, three weeks after the state's multicounty grand jury accused him of habitual neglect of duty, oppression in office and corruption.

Allan Grubb, 47, of Shawnee, did not specifically mention the accusations in a one-page letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt. His resignation is effective Sept. 30.

Many of the accusations centered around Grubb's use of secretive deals known as deferred prosecution agreements. Grand jurors alleged he improperly "prioritized" the use of the deals in an effort to generate revenue for his cash-strapped office.

Grubb, a Republican, was elected in 2018. He sought reelection this year but came in third in the June 28 GOP primary election. He would have left office anyway in January.

He told Stitt in the letter that he is voluntarily suspending himself from office immediately. His suspension is with pay.

In making the accusations, grand jurors did not charge him with a crime. Instead, they called for his suspension and eventual removal from office.

Grubb had been fighting those requests. He told The Lincoln County News the accusations were "so far-fetched they’re ridiculous." His attorneys had complained grand jurors were grossly misled.

Grubb was "repeatedly harangued" when he testified before the grand jury July 21, the attorneys also complained.

Cleveland County District Judge Lori Walkley was to have decided the suspension request. A hearing had been set for Tuesday. A six-person jury would have taken up the removal request, if a trial could have been held before his term's end in January.

Grubb told Stitt in the letter he was resigning for several reasons, after much discussion with his family and with a heavy heart. He also wrote he did not want to be a distraction to the mission of the office.

"With a short amount of time left in office, I need to focus on some health concerns that have arisen with family members, as well as myself. I would also like to use this time to transition for my return to private practice," Grubb wrote.

The winner of the GOP primary, David Hammer, died July 3. He would have become DA in January because no Democrats, Libertarians or independents filed for the position.

Stitt will appoint an interim DA to complete Grubb's term. Stitt — or his successor — will then make an appointment in January to fill Hammer's four-year term.