OKC Police arrest State Rep Dean Davis in Bricktown

Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:50 AM | Published: March 23, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY (Bricktown) — UPDATED — Oklahoma State Representative Dean Davis of Broken Arrow was arrested in the dark early hours of Thursday morning on the suspicion of being drunk in public.

Oklahoma City Police made the arrest a few hours after midnight at 2:15 a.m. in Bricktown, a popular night spot in downtown Oklahoma City.

Arrest

Update: Since we first published this report, Free Press has obtained the report of the arresting officer in the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD.)

Below is a clip from the bodycam of the arresting officer (provided by OKCPD):

---

The arrest report gave these additional details of the circumstance of Davis’s arrest:

• “Several” people were still drinking past the 2:00 a.m. cutoff on the patio outside the Bricktown bar “Skinny Slims”.
• An OKCPD officer and his supervisor told the group that it was not lawful for them to keep drinking on the patio and to leave.
• The officer reported that Davis became “argumentative” and “did not comply” when told twice more to put his drink down and leave.
• Davis pulled out his wallet and tried to show the officer a credential from the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
• The officer wrote that Davis, “… tried to show us a credential and stated to the effect of you don’t know how bad you messed up you will find out tomorrow.”
• At that point, Davis was placed under arrest.
• Davis then demanded that the officer call the “FOP” (presumably the Fraternal Order of Police, the union for police officers).
• Davis demanded that the officer call his superiors but was told that the officer’s superior was the one who approved the arrest.
• The bartender told the arresting officer that “at least two of the individuals were State reps,” according to his report.
• On the way to the County Jail, “Davis kept saying things to the effect of he feels sorry for me and that we will see how this turns out,” reported the arresting officer.

Booked

Booking information provided by the Oklahoma County Detention Center shows that 50-year-old Davis was booked on the municipal complaint of “public drunkenness” at 3:46 a.m. Thursday.

He was later released on a municipal OR or “own recognizance” bond at 5:19 a.m.

FOP response to Davis’s arrest

Update: Davis demanded that the arresting officer “call the FOP” at the same time he demanded to talk with the officer’s supervisor. What seems to be a response on Saturday, the FOP Lodge No. 123 President Mark Nelson issued the following statement in support of the officer:

On Wednesday, March 22, two Oklahoma City police officers encountered several people on a patio of a bar in Bricktown, including Rep. Dean Davis. The law prohibited these individuals from being there at that time in the morning. Rep. Davis was given multiple opportunities and directions to leave, but instead chose to “debate” the officers. The following statement can be attributed to Mark Nelson, president of the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police (OKC FOP).

Back on House floor hours after release

In the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Davis represents House District 98 which covers the suburban southeastern corner of the Tulsa metro including Broken Arrow.

Davis serves on the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Controlled Substances house committee and on the corresponding conference committee of the same name.

According to news reports, Davis apologized Thursday afternoon on the floor of the House for the “distraction” and denied any wrongdoing.

We will continue to update this story if we gain any more reliable information.

Censure in House of Representatives

Update — On Monday, March 27, Davis was censured “for conduct unbecoming” by the House of Representatives in an 81-9 vote. The vote strongly condemns Davis’s behavior on the night he was arrested and strips him of his committee memberships.

However, if Davis formally apologizes to the House, he will get his committee assignments back irking not only some Democrats, but fellow Republicans as well.

This is the censure statement Speaker Charles McCall issued following the vote Monday:

As a body, the House of Representatives and its members must hold ourselves to a high standard, and Rep. Davis’ conduct did not live up to that standard. The decision to censure a member of the House is not one that is made easily or carelessly, but is made when it is necessary to maintain the integrity of the House of Representatives and the trust of the great people of the state of Oklahoma in their government. The House of Representatives has nothing but the utmost respect for the members of our law enforcement community, and we expect the members of our body to exemplify that in their dealings with law enforcement.

Free Press will continue to monitor the legal situation of Davis in the City of Oklahoma City Municipal Courts.

---

Note: As of publication, the information provided by the OKCPD has not yet been tested in court. Under the law, all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty before a jury of their peers or a plea of guilt.

---