New secret recording reveals Oklahoma county leaders discussing sexual favors for pay raises

Last week the McCurtain Gazette News, suspecting that county meetings continued after the public left in a violation of Oklahoma's open-meetings laws, secretly placed a voice-activated recorder in the room.

The conversations that happened when the commission didn't think anyone was listening included plotting the murder of the local newspaper publisher, including hiring a hitman to carry out the murder. Other topics discussed were barbecuing a body and longing for the days when they could lynch Black men.

The commissioners have already resigned, but the county sheriff's office announced they would be investigating the paper for making the recording. In the statement, the sheriff's office claimed that the recordings were doctored and fake.

Wednesday evening, the paper decided to release the recordings in their entirety to dispute the allegations of doctoring the audio. The paper also included body cam footage of the arrest of Bobby Barrick, who was later killed in police custody.

"We are also releasing the full, unedited audio and transcript of the March 6, 2023, open meeting of the McCurtain County Commissioners. The transcript has been transcribed to the best of our ability, as dialect makes the dialogue difficult to distinguish in places. With this transcription, the Gazette in no way certifies its complete accuracy and encourages all readers to listen to the audio recording provided for themselves," the paper said.

Among the details outlined in the paper was a reference to a "physical affair" between Captain of All Officers Alicia Manning and the former County Chair Jimmy Westbrook. Manning appears to imply she exchanged sexual favors to get pay raises for the county sheriff's office.

"With all that s--- going on with the paper? I said y'all better watch it, 'cause I'm fixing to tell Willingham that I've been under the damn table with Westbrook, that's how we got them pay raises and stuff. You wanna talk s--- about me and [Sheriff Kevin] Clardy? We're fixing to start some s--- about me and Westbrook" Manning says on the recording.

Listen to the full audio here.