The Masturbating Judge – Part 1
Update #7:
On September 26, 2005 as Thompson’s trial was set to start with jury selection, the defense made a motion to delay the trial on the basis that the jury pool was put together by a judge who disqualified himself from the case.
The case is now being heard by Judge Allen McCall and McCall agreed with a defense motion that he should be the judge to qualify the jury pool. McCall reset the start of the trial for November seventh.
Update #8:
On November 1, 2005 the state amended the charges against Thompson expanding the time in which the offenses allegedly occurred from 3 to 49 days. As a result the defense requested a preliminary hearing on the amended charges. A preliminary hearing was set for December 2, 2005. The request for a preliminary hearing resulted in Special Prosecutor Richard Smotherman stating:
We’ll see what the evidence shows at the prelim. If it shows new crimes, then, by God, we’ll file them.
Update #9:
On November 18, 2005 prosecutors filed two additional charges, one alleging act of indecent exposure and one alleging misuse of a state computer. The victim was not named in the additional count of indecent exposure, which allegedly occurred between Oct. 14 and Oct. 25, 2002.
The complaint of misuse of a state computer alleges lewd photographs of Thompson and a woman were found on a computer acquired and operated by the State of Oklahoma.
Update #10:
On November 29, 2005 the Tulsa World in a copyright reported revealed that DNA tests were performed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation on two of Thompson’s robes, on furniture in his courtroom and chambers and on a Mityvac II penis pump.
The report indicated that the DNA testing revealed a positive match for a semen component of Thompson’s on one of his robes, an office chair in his chambers and beneath a desk in his chambers. No identifiable seminal DNA from Thompson or anyone else was found in the courtroom.
Update #11:
At Thompson’s scheduled preliminary hearing on November 30, 2005 the state announced it was ready to proceed with the preliminary hearing but the defense objected and requested an initial appearance on the additional charges. The court held an initial hearing on the new charges and continued the preliminary hearing on the original charges to December 2, 2005.
Update #12:
On December 2, 2005, the case against former District Judge Donald Thompson came to a screeching halt again when Craig County Associate District Judge Gary Maxey, who had been appointed to hear the case and was expected to begin a preliminary hearing, recused himself after Thompson’s lawyers raised questions about a conversation the judge had with a potential witness.
Update #13:
On January 3, 2006 Thompson appeared in Creek County District Court in Bristow for a preliminary hearing on four counts of indecent exposure and one count of misuse of a state computer. The only witness was Thompson’s former clerk Lisa Foster who testified that after months of hearing a stranger whooshing noise during trials she saw Thompson masturbating during witness testimony in February 2001 using a pump device. Foster said she saw Thompson’s penis in a plastic tube while he was on the bench and that he had a bulb in his hand and was squeezing it. Foster further testified that whenever he would squeeze the bulb she would hear the whooshing noise.
After two hours of testimony, Judge James Bland, an associate district judge in Pittsburg County who was appointed in December, 2005 to hear the case, ordered Thompson bound over for trial and set arraignment for January 26.
[...] Part 1 – The basic allegations and charges against Donald D. Thompson. [...]