OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma prisons director Robert Patton's tenure at the Department of Corrections has been marred by problems with three scheduled executions and now a grand jury inquiry into those complications.
And while Patton received a vote of confidence last week from the agency's governing board, Governor Mary Fallin has been less forthcoming.
Fallin has said she wants to wait and see what's uncovered by Attorney General Scott Pruitt's investigation before publicly endorsing Patton.
Only the seven-member Board of Corrections composed entirely of Fallin appointees has the authority to fire the director.
Patton also has drawn the ire of some lawmakers who have been critical of his decision to remove state inmates from county jails and for not meeting with lawmakers in person at the Capitol.