Oklahoma County Sheriff says Ryan Walters TV incident was 'purely an accident' after investigation

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson spoke publicly at a press conference on Wednesday about the investigation into allegations that inappropriate images were displayed on a television in State Superintendent Ryan Walters' office during a July 24 State Board of Education meeting. The sheriff said that the incident appeared to be "purely an accident," and that the images were from the movie Jackie Chan: The Protector.

Related: District Attorney says no charges will be filed in Ryan Walters TV incident after investigation

Johnson detailed the timeline of events, beginning when Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), Rick Rose, contacted him on July 25 about the allegations. Johnson requested a formal written referral, which was provided.

Sheriff Johnson also consulted with Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Director Greg Mashburn, who confirmed the incident fell under the sheriff's jurisdiction while offering OSBI's assistance if needed.

Related: Oklahoma County Sheriff 'surprised' by DA’s request for OSBI to assist in Ryan Walters investigation

Investigation timeline

Sheriff Johnson said that on July 28, investigators examined the television in Walters' office and found it tuned to "Samsung Movie Action." Walters told investigators that the TV was typically on Fox News and denied that any inappropriate content was on the screen.

Sheriff Johnson said board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage were interviewed. Carson said she saw full frontal nudity that offended her, while Deatherage described the footage as resembling a 1970s film. Both were interviewed again on August 5 after new information surfaced.

Related: Timeline of Events: Walters TV controversy & investigation

Investigators reached out to Samsung to confirm what aired during the meeting. On August 7, Samsung confirmed the film Jackie Chan: The Protector was playing on the channel at the time. Investigators then turned the case over to the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office on August 15.

Findings

Johnson said that Walters cooperated fully, submitting to interviews and searches starting on July 28. Sheriff Johnson said "no stone was left unturned" in the investigation and said that it would not be rushed or swayed by political pressure.

The sheriff reiterated that the incident appeared to be "purely an accident" and said that the case would not be "litigated in the court of public opinion," but handled through established legal channels.

Response to political fallout

Johnson addressed comments made by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, who previously announced that a movie scene was likely the source of the images. While Johnson said Hilbert intended to protect the legislature, he added that issuing a press release before the investigation concluded was not the appropriate process.

Related: Nude video seen in Supt. Walters' office during meeting likely movie, House Speaker Hilbert says

Sheriff Johnson also said Walters spoke too soon when he told the public he had been cleared. Johnson said that his office had to publicly clarify that investigators had not yet made that determination.

Related: Investigation into Ryan Walters still ongoing, Oklahoma Co. Sheriff says

The sheriff ended the conference by reiterating his office's role to establish facts and provide them to the District Attorney, while any disputes among board members would have to be resolved outside of law enforcement.

Walters Response

Walters issued a statement following the results of the investigation, calling it "the biggest witch hunt in Oklahoma history."

"This concludes the biggest witch hunt in Oklahoma history. Lies were spread about me and my character. Not only did the liberal lying media and my accusers sacrifice the truth, they worked to create a narrative to tear my agenda down and mission to reform Oklahoma schools and put parents back in charge. Liberal lies lost again."