Once open to grand jury scrutiny, Tulsa sheriff fighting it

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz is set to go to court to fight a petition signed by thousands of voters calling for a grand jury investigation of his agency.

He says the petition is illegal because it’s misleading and doesn’t fully detail many of the things people have accused him of, like allegedly showing favoritism toward reserve deputies who gave him gifts.

Glanz’s spokesman for weeks has said the sheriff was eager to tell his side of the story before a jury. The sheriff’s critics now question the perceived backtrack.

The petition came after ex-reserve deputy Robert Bates fatally shot an unarmed man in April. The 73-year-old volunteer is friends with Glanz and has donated money and equipment to the sheriff’s office. Bates has pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter.