Latest news with #RyanWalters
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Third board member speaks out after allegations of naked women on TV in Supt. Walters' office
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – New reactions are coming in from a third board member who was in State Superintendent Ryan Walters's executive session, when he allegedly had naked women on a TV Thursday. These shocking claims first came to light in a report by The Oklahoman and the online publication, Non-Doc. RELATED: Investigation inquiry underway after bombshell reports say board members saw naked women on Ryan Walters' office TV during meeting 'My first reaction was, I thought maybe somehow, you know, the Jerry Springer Show got on there and something was blurred out,' said Chris Van Dehende, Oklahoma State Department of Education board member. Van Dehende says, based on Walter's reaction, it was clear this was not the case. 'All I can say is having been in the room, not seeing what was on the TV, but seeing the reactions to Becky Carson primarily, and Ryan Walters' reaction to what he saw when he spun around and saw the TV,' said Van Dehende. 'Something clearly was on that TV that shouldn't have been on that TV. Why it was on, I don't know.' Former Republican Oklahoma Representative Mark McBride also shared his reaction to the bombshell headline. 'I think the board members are professional people. They don't have any reason to lie,' said McBride. 'He's never taken any responsibility for much of anything that he's done, and I don't know that he's guilty of this, but I believe that the board members saw what they saw.' House Speaker Kyle Hilbert is calling for an investigation and demanding that Walters turn over his devices. McBride and Van Dehende say the next move could possibly be impeachment. 'I suppose possibly the state legislature to begin impeachment proceedings,' said Van Dehende. 'Personally, right now, forgetting this, just putting this to the side, I think that being at 50 in education to me were at an impeachable offense,' said McBride. 'Honestly, it falls on Stitt and McCall, in my opinion, because I mean no disrespect to the governor, but Ryan Walters is a product of Governor Stitt.' News 4 reached out to Governor Stitt's office Saturday with questions surrounding these allegations against the superintendent and what actions his office may take. However, we have not heard back. We also reached out to Walters's office again for a statement on these allegations, but have not heard back. However, a spokesperson has said the report is a 'junk tabloid lie.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ryan Walters reacts to investigations into nude image allegations
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A criminal investigation is underway after bombshell allegations of explicit nude images played on a TV in State Superintendent Ryan Walters' office during last week's State School Board meeting. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) tells News 4 that state office officials brought them in because they wanted to figure out not only if what allegedly happened in Walters' office was unethical, but also if it amounted to a crime. OCSO posted this letter from the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services requesting an investigation into Walters. 'On July 25, 2025, Becky Carson submitted a complaint to OMES General Counselstating, 'she was subjected to pornographic images on the monitor of Ryan Walters.' Walters called a news conference late Tuesday afternoon to say that he had been cleared by OMES and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's office. The OSCO office tells News 4 that is not the case and the investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supt. Walters unapologetic in latest statement regarding 'nude women' allegations
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – Superintendent Ryan Walters released a statement days after school board members reported nude women on a TV in his office during Thursday's closed-door meeting. The reporting came first from The Oklahoman and Non-Doc after they had spoken with the two board members, who recalled the events. Investigation inquiry underway after bombshell reports say board members saw naked women on Ryan Walters' office TV during meeting > 'I was like, 'No, wait a minute. Those aren't naked, surely those aren't naked women,'' OSBE member Becky Carson told The Oklahoman. 'I saw them just walking across the screen, and I'm like, 'No.' I'm sorry I even have to use this language, but I'm like, 'Those are her nipples.' And then I'm like, 'That's pubic hair.' What in the world am I watching?' On Saturday, News 4 spoke to another board member, Chris Van Denhende, who was in the room. He said he didn't see exactly what was on the TV, but could tell by everyone's reactions that it was something that shouldn't have been on the TV. Van Denhende then hinted at the possibility of an impeachment as he said Supt. Walters continues to be unprofessional. Supt. Walter's statement read, 'As I lead the charge for a bold overhaul of education in Oklahoma, putting parents back in control, rejecting radical agendas, and demanding excellence: it's no surprise to face politically motivated attacks. Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false. I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing. These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren't just attacking me, they're attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo. I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category.' Carson told the Oklahoman in their reporting that Walters was not apologetic Thursday either, that he just continued with the meeting as if nothing had happened. Third board member speaks out after allegations of naked women on TV in Supt. Walters' office > Soon after their reporting, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert released a statement that said Supt. Walters should relinquish his devices, and a third-party investigation should commence. Van Denhende told News 4 on Saturday that he believes the two board members, and said he felt they wouldn't make something like this up. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office joins investigation into Walters nude images allegations
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A criminal investigation is underway after bombshell allegations of explicit nude images played on a TV in State Superintendent Ryan Walters' office during last week's State School Board meeting. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) tells News 4 that state office officials brought them in because they wanted to figure out not only if what allegedly happened in Walters' office was unethical, but also if it amounted to a crime. RELATED: Investigation inquiry underway after bombshell reports say board members saw naked women on Ryan Walters' office TV during meeting But the specifics of what that investigation will include are pretty murky right now. 'We're looking into it,' OCSO spokesperson Aaron Brilbeck told News 4 Monday. OCSO says the State's Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) reached out Monday, asking them to investigate if anything criminal happened. 'We just don't know whether there was any criminal activity,' Brilbeck said. 'And that's the role of the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office and our investigators right now is to look into that.' News 4 reported Friday that state school board members Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson claimed they saw images of clearly fully-nude women playing on a TV behind Walters as a family spoke to board members during the closed session portion of last Thursday's State School Board meeting. RELATED: Third board member speaks out after allegations of naked women on TV in Supt. Walters' office They told The Oklahoman and NonDoc that they confronted Walters, he looked at the TV, grabbed the remote, and turned it off without acknowledging what happened. News 4 reported that state employment policies make clear it's a fireable offense to look at explicit content on state-issued devices. What's not clear is how those images—allegedly—ended up on Walters' TV. State lawmakers tasked OMES with getting to the bottom of it. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert asked Walters to turn over all his electronic devices to investigators. With OMES only handing the investigation to the OCSO a couple of hours before News 4 spoke with OCSO Monday, officials weren't sure who currently had possession of Walters' devices. 'I don't know the answer to that,' Brilbeck said. It's not clear why OMES asked the Sheriff's Office to investigate, when the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is the primary law enforcement agency in charge of the State Capitol complex. News 4's calls and emails to OMES went unanswered Monday. News 4 has confirmed OMES officials met with Sheriff Tommie Johnson personally on Monday. 'Sheriff Johnson sat down and spoke with OMES, and they asked about their concerns and asked if we wouldn't mind looking into it,' Brilbeck said. So far, Walters has not denied explicit pictures appeared on his TV—only suggesting if something did happen, it wasn't his fault. His office said in a statement Friday, in part:'Any number of people have access to these offices.' RELATED: Supt. Walters unapologetic in latest statement regarding 'nude women' allegations And—although the board members never claimed to know how the alleged images ended up on Walters' TV—in another statement Sunday, Walters claimed: 'Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false. I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing.' 'We're aware of what has been told to the media,' Brilbeck said. 'But obviously we have to do our own due diligence to speak with those witnesses that are involved to determine whether there was anything criminal.' News 4 asked OMES officials if they have taken possession of Walters' devices and if they'll still be running their own non-criminal investigation while the Sheriff's Office runs their criminal one. OMES did not respond. As for a timeline on how long OCSO's investigation might take, Brilbeck said it's simply too early to know right now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
OSBE members press Supt. Walters on partnership with out-of-state private school
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – State school board members questioned Public School Superintendent Ryan Walters' push for parents to enroll in an out-of-state private school Thursday. Board members voice concern with new ranking of 50th in education Officials said the school doesn't have an Oklahoma address, and it hasn't even applied with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. But Supt. Walters said it's eligible for the Private School Tax Credit. 'Is there not an Oklahoma school or company that can provide the same thing? So we're not having to seek that from out of state,' asked board member Becky Carson. It's American Virtual Academy, also called American Virtual LLC. Supt. Walters sent an email out that claimed, 'Left-wing indoctrination in schools poses a serious threat to our students, and all parents deserve more options for their kids. OSDE is proud to be one of the first states in the country to do this.' AVA is a charter school facing a potential shutdown in Arizona, where officials have stated that the school's students are performing so poorly that it could be shut down. 'We will continue to fight back against a woke, liberal agenda in our schools,' said Supt. Walters in a video he posted online. Board members had many questions Thursday at the monthly board meeting, questions that Supt. Walters gave answers to but that didn't add up. Supt. Walters said that this out-of-state school is eligible for the Private School Tax Credit. The credit in Oklahoma is based on the tax dollars per student they have enrolled. The parents are then able to file a credit on their taxes. 'But isn't that only for schools that are in Oklahoma?' asked board member Michael Tinney. 'They have an Oklahoma address,' responded Supt. Walters. But they don't, according to the Secretary of State's office. News 4 called their office just after Supt. Walters claimed they had an address; they said they don't. Neither does Primavera, which is an online charter school in Arizona that AVA operates. Supt. Walters told board members Thursday that the press somehow got it all wrong about AVA, that it wasn't the same school 'out in Arizona.' But it's run by the same founder, Damian Creamer. He posted on social media after the announcement of the OSDE partnership, 'Huge win. School choice is about putting power back in the hands of families. Celebrating Oklahoma families Another issue, it seems like AVA hasn't applied to be a private school with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. After Thursday's meeting, Jennifer Palmer with Oklahoma Watch pressed Supt. Walters on that several times, to which he replied, 'They are already eligible.' Palmer then asked again, 'They have not applied according to the tax commission.' He said, 'We'll have to get the tax commission going on that then.' Then News 4 asked, 'And the Secretary of State said they don't have an address, you said they had an address in Oklahoma. What's that address?' Supt. Walters replied, 'I don't know all the details on that. I know that we're going to have them available for students this fall. I know that they are working through all of those hoops. I don't know the address.' School starts in around two weeks for many Oklahoma students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
