Jennifer Palmer
The Oklahoman
Kenneth Watson, a retired Oklahoma County district court judge, has withdrawn his appointment to the state Pardon and Parole Board, leaving the five-member board with one seat vacant.
Watson was appointed March 3 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Accepting the position meant he would be barred from representing felony criminal defendants as a private practice attorney, so he decided to decline, said Jari Askins, who until this week was the parole board’s interim executive director.
“He was really conflicted. He just decided he would rather try to represent people from his community in that capacity (as an attorney) rather than be a voice on the parole board,” Askins said.
Watson could not be reached for comment.
The chief justice is working expeditiously to select a new appointee, Askins said.
The Pardon and Parole Board this week hired Van Guillotte as its executive director. Guillotte was chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol from 2007 to 2011.
