Seminole Nation Judge Greg Bigler agreed to the plea, sentencing McGirt to five years. Six months of his sentence will be behind bars.
Upon his release, McGirt will serve the remaining four-and-a-half years in banishment from the Seminole Nation and wear an ankle monitor under supervised probation.
McGirt was arrested in August after Seminole Nation Lighthorse police responded to a call that McGirt had approached two children on a playground within Seminole County.
Upon investigation, the arresting officer discovered he was residing with his son within the Seminole Nation boundary despite being registered within the Muscogee Creek Nation.
His charges, which have dropped from four to two, include a felony of residing near a playground and a misdemeanor of failure to register as a sex offender with the Seminole Nation.
McGirt’s attorney, Richard O’Carroll, said the no-contest plea was his client’s way of acknowledging his error.
“Mr. McGirt made a mistake, and he wasn’t aware there was a park there,” he said. “But he technically violated the law for a short period of time, and he was a day late on reporting.”
Despite this, O’Carroll says his client vehemently denies he ever approached children, and the plea is conceding to a ‘technical aspect’ of the case.
In the original arrest affidavit, a Seminole Light Horse Police Officer interviewed a local parent. That person's children stated McGirt asked them “personal questions” and pressed for their address. He also claimed he was the grandfather of country musician Reba McEntire.
O’Carroll said he has proof the person who allegedly approached the children was someone else.
“That person was in a blue scooter or electric wheelchair. We have photographic evidence of that,” he said. “He was quite concerned that he was being accused of accosting children.”
Prosecutor Tim Brown said he thinks justice has been served and the punishment is appropriate to protect Seminole citizens.
“I wanted to make sure that we can keep track of him,” he said. “I think that’s going to be a primary component for ensuring the safety of the citizens of the Seminole Nation and Seminole County.”
McGirt is currently held at the Seminole County Jail and is expected to be released and begin his probationary sentence on February 27.
