Bubbaworld

A Best of Bubbaworld, Blast From the Past…
The following is a condensed and reformatted copy of the original article published on Bubbaworld on 10/15/2004 and detailing the allegations against former Creek County District Judge Donald D. Thompson.  The original report and those updates prior to the start of Thompson’s trial are included.

Government scandal is no stranger to Oklahoma. As a matter of fact, government scandal is as much a part of Oklahoma as are the tornadoes of spring, the searing heat of summer and the ice storms of winter.

The most recent government scandal and one still on-going involves Creek County District Judge Donald D. Thompson. Judge Thompson is alleged to have masturbated and used a so called penis pump while on the bench and presiding over both jury and non-jury trials, including trials for first degree murder.

Judge Thompson has repeatedly denied the allegations and has stated that the allegations against him are part of a vendetta on the part of Sapulpa, Oklahoma Police Chief Jim Wall Jr.

Wall filed a complaint against Judge Thompson with the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints. The council conducted an investigation and referred the matter to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Edmondson ultimately filed an ouster petition with the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary, seeking Judge Thompson’s removal from the bench.

Judge Thompson, facing an ouster trial on September 13, submitted a letter of resignation to Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry on August 18th. Thompson’s resignation became effective on
September 1, 2004. Following his resignation, the professional misconduct case against Thompson was dismissed. With his retirement from the bench, Judge Thompson will reportedly receive a pension of approximately $88,800 each year for life.

As of the date of this writing, criminal charges possibly alleging indecent exposure or outraging public decency are being considered against Thompson. Attorney General Edmondson forwarded the results of the judicial investigation to the Creek County District Attorney’s office for consideration of possible charges. Creek County District Attorney Max Cook recused his office from the case owing to the fact that the District Attorney himself might be called as a witness in any criminal trial.

Attorney General Edmondson then appointed Richard Smotherman, the district attorney for Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties to handle the case. As of the date of this writing no criminal charges have been filed and the investigation is reportedly continuing.

The Lurid Details:

Donald D. Thompson, who received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma Law School, was appointed as a judge in 1982 by then Governor George Nigh. Prior to his appointment to the judiciary, Thompson was a state representative from District 30, serving in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1974 to 1980.

The first hint of an alleged scandal involving Judge Thompson surfaced in October of 2003. News media reports indicated that he as under investigation by the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints. The nature of the complaint and the identity of the complaining party were not immediately revealed.

Within days of the initial news media reports of the investigation the nature of the allegations became common knowledge in both Creek County and the surrounding area. It wasn’t until June of 2004 that the “reality” of the allegations became widely known. Between October, 2003 and June, 2004 the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints conducted its investigation which included taking testimony from numerous witness in the law enforcement and legal community of Creek County. Once the investigation was completed the council forwarded the results to Oklahoma Attorney Drew Edmondson for action.

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