WAGONER COUNTY, Okla. — Wagoner County Citizens Against Corruption, LLC filed a petition for a grand jury to remove the Wagoner County sheriff and district attorney from their offices following the death of a Wagoner County jail inmate, the death of another suspect during his arrest, and the assault of another inmate.

According to a 16-page court document, the group is calling for the deputies responsible for the neglect that resulted in Angela Liggans’ and Jeffrey Krueger’s deaths to be indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges and those involved with Elizabeth Rodriguez’s assault to be removed from office.  

The group claimed Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott mismanaged the jail by not having the proper medical staff, training, and other poor practices for years and the district attorney, Jack Thorp, failed to investigate the claims of Sheriff Elliot’s poor management. Therefore, the group believes both need to be removed from their positions. 

In the case of Jeffrey Krueger, the group alleges four Wagoner County deputies used excessive force when arresting and detaining Kreuger, which resulted in his death. According to the petition, deputies arrested Krueger on July 1, 2019 while he was pumping gas in Wagoner. 

The Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association, on August 19, 2019, presented Sheriff Elliott and other deputies who were involved in Krueger’s arrest and detainment with several awards. Two of the deputies were awarded medals of valor, and one received this award as well as two others. 

For Elizabeth Rodriguez, the court document states the group accused Sheriff Elliott of allowing his wife, Judy, to enter the jail and interact with inmates, despite her being the Wagoner County’s 911 director at the time. She was accused of not being trained to work in the jail nor was she employed by the sheriff’s office to be there. 

While she was there, Mrs. Elliott engaged in what the document describes as a “heated argument” with inmate Elizabeth Rodriguez. Sheriff Elliott intervened and allegedly dragged Rodriguez by her hair into her cell. 

In these situations, as well as with the death of Liggans, the Wagoner County Citizens Against Corruption believe District Attorney Thorp failed to file charges against the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Sheriff Elliott himself. 

They also claimed when Judy Elliott was placed on administrative leave by the Wagoner County Commissioner as she was being investigated, an IT person under the alleged direction of Sheriff Elliott and the Wagoner County Undersheriff deleted files from Judy’s computer without the commissioner’s knowledge or permission. Due to this, the group is asking for the removal of the sheriff from office. 

In a statement sent to FOX23, District Attorney Jack Thorp said he denies the claims made against him. 

“As it relates to the allegations made against myself — In the strongest possible terms I want to state that I categorically deny the claims made in the filing,” said Thorp in his statement. “Not only are they insufficient to advise the public of the truth, but in many cases are legally incorrect and certainly they do not define the actual legal requirements. A trained eye can quickly spot significant legal issues, and those issues will certainly be raised at the appropriate time. As they relate to the allegations against myself there is significant case law that will be utilized at the appropriate time.” 

Thorp’s statement addressed the claims made in the petition filing, specifically the claim that he did not file charges in these three incidents. 

Thorp claims, in the case of Elizabeth Rodriguez, that no criminal investigation was ever presented to him or the District 27 office. In the cases of Angela Liggans and Jeffrey Kreuger, Thorp said they were investigated by the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). The OSBI investigations are confidential, but should they be mentioned at a grand jury, Thorp said they will support the decisions made by his district office. 

“The duty of a District Attorney is to seek justice. Justice is and will always be my goal,” read the statement. “Under Oklahoma law, the constitutional duties of a District Attorney (DA) encompass several key responsibilities, primarily exercising prosecutorial discretion, protecting constitutional rights, maintaining impartiality, acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, and ensuring a fair trial of the defendant. The decision to charge or not charge a crime is certainly not the only duty of the District Attorney.” 

DA Thorp stated he will not address the allegations against Sheriff Elliott, or the others mentioned in the filing, due to state law, which claims the “District Attorney has the statutory duty to represent County Elected Officials.” 

Read the full statement for Wagoner County District Attorney Jack Thorp here.