Ritze, Reynolds Want Judge Ousted

Two lawmakers want a McAlester judge to be removed from office following a controversial sentencing decision, they said today.

House Resolution 1065, by Reps. Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds, calls for the Oklahoma House of Representatives to petition the Trial Division of the Court on the Judiciary to assume jurisdiction and institute proceedings to remove District Judge Thomas Bartheld, Pittsburg County Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District, from office.

The resolution cites “gross neglect of duty” as the reason for removal.

“The people in Oklahoma must have confidence in the courts to deliver impartial justice,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “Clearly, that did not happen in this case and I have heard from many constituents who are outraged.”

“While it would be simpler and better if the governor or attorney general would step up and take this action, we have filed the resolution to ensure the process can move forward regardless,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.

David Harold Earls, 64, was recently sentenced to a year in prison for raping a four-year-old girl in Pittsburg County. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached by prosecutors and the defense attorney.

The sentence and Bartheld have received national attention and criticism as a result of the case.

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O'Reilly, Rivera Tee Off On McAlester Judge

From The McAlester News-Capital ~ Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera again condemned local District 18 Judge Thomas Bartheld on a national television program Friday night for his sentence of a child rapist.

During the O’Reilly Factor segment aired on Fox News, they expanded their criticism to include District Attorney Jim Bob Miller, and vowed to take their complaints to Oklahoma’s governor.

“I think the state of Oklahoma has to investigate,” O’Reilly said. “I’m going to ask the governor on Monday to launch an investigation into this and to explain to the American people why a child rapist, who raped not one but two, gets a year in prison. I think if we don’t investigate this, Geraldo, we don’t have a justice system in America.”

Read the entire story at http://www.mcalesternews.com/local/local_story_157175737.html.

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