NORMAN, OK – Cleveland County Sheriff Donald “Chris” Amason tendered his immediate resignation Monday following a plea of no contest to embezzlement charges stretching back to his 2020 campaign.
In an indictment filed Monday, a Multi-County Grand Jury charged Amason with four counts of felony embezzlement between May 2020 and July 2025, alleging that the Sheriff used campaign funds for personal uses, wrote unreported checks to himself from campaign accounts, and directed public funds to pay for his wife to attend conferences and events.
Specific dollar amounts were not released, but three of the counts alleged that amounts between $2,500 and $15,000 had been mishandled.
Amason pleaded no contest to just one of those counts, accepting a plea deal that calls for his immediate resignation and $10,000 in restitution to the County, as well as the surrender of any private law enforcement licensing and a five-year deferred sentence, avoiding any admission of guilt or jail time.
“After 33 years of law enforcement service,” Amason’s letter of resignation reads, “the time has come for me to retire and begin the next chapter of my life.”
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged Amason’s resignation in a public statement declaring that his second-in-command, Michael Finley, will be assuming the role, but declined to provide any additional comment.
“Undersheriff Michael Finley is serving as Acting Sheriff and will continue providing leadership to ensure the Office remains fully operational,” the statement reads. “He will serve in this role until the Cleveland County Commissioners appoint a Sheriff to complete the remainder of the current term.”
The full indictment was sent to press Monday by the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
“Public officials are entrusted with taxpayer dollars and must be held to the highest standard,” Drummond wrote in a statement alongside the release.
Attorney General Drummond is also the current Republican frontrunner for Governor in this year’s race, and he has courted law enforcement statewide in a number of high-profile (and sometimes controversial) decisions.
“Sheriff Amason took an oath to enforce the law,” Drummond’s statement continues. “He has neglected his duty and is no longer fit to serve the residents of Cleveland County.”
Amason was first elected in November of 2020 after serving in the Norman Police Department.
He was the 26th Sheriff of Cleveland County.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
