1/25/2016 – OKC, OK (by Brian Bates) — Within minutes of Daniel Holtzclaw being convicted of only half of the criminal charges filed against him, Oklahoma County District disappointment Attorney David Prater wasted no time in publicly proving himself a hypocrite (again).
Prater seems almost gleeful at the thought he can convince minority and impoverished females in Oklahoma County he is their savior. Take a look at this tidbit from KWTV News9 right after Daniel Holtzclaw’s sentencing…
“And men who victimize women… this is what is going to happen to you. We will lock your [pretends he’s going to say ‘ass’] up!” — Okla. CO District Attorney David Prater.
Sounds great doesn’t it? And I’m certain those in the halls of that courthouse and those who watched him on the news were expressing, “Hell yeah, go get’m DA Prater, protect our women!”
Here’s the problem. DA David Prater, like most politicians, absolutely counts on a public that doesn’t educate themselves to the facts, is highly emotional and has a very short memory.
DA Prater’s hypocrisy, and downright lack of empathy towards impoverished women, isn’t hard to prove, so lets get down to it….
According to a report published by OklahomaWatch.org in 2013, Oklahoma, as a state, leads the country in the incarceration of women, with a rate of 127 per 100,000 residents. Oklahoma’s prison system is listed at more than 98% capacity.
Here’s an interesting read from TheNation; Why Are So Many Women Behind Bars in Oklahoma? (9/2015)
Oklahoma County, the jurisdiction of DA David Prater, is the largest county within the state – So, before you go branding DA Prater the savior of our mothers, know he will lock them up more often than any other state – and most often for non-violent crimes such as drug possession – or – even the case of Cecilia Rodriguez, who was given a life sentence for habitual shoplifting.
And, before you go thinking being harsh on women and lax on violent men is a rarity in Oklahoma County – you will recall that in Jun. of last year JohnTV reported on an article in the Oklahoman where DA David Prater is quoted as saying… that with younger male offenders who perpetrate violence against women “he tries to be more lenient.” DA Prater was specifically speaking about a 21-year-old man who willingly and admittedly pimped out a pregnant 16-year-old girl (see more in the details below).
JohnTV has several times reported on the reality of DA David Prater – he has a hug-a-thug mentality when it comes to prosecuting men who violate women in the worst way – as their pimp and human trafficker.
Examples:
- Joshua Hudson: Admits in a written confession to the court that he prostituted a 16-year-old girl out of an Edmond motel to as many men as would pay to have sex with her. In reality he was also doing this while she was 15, but wasn’t caught until after she turned 16. Even though he admitted to being her human trafficker, DA David Prater allowed Hudson to withdraw his guilty plea and instead plead guilty to computer crimes (posting the young girl’s prostitution ads online). DA Prater then agreed to a deferred sentence – probation only, and no official criminal record. A short time after being on probation, Hudson was involved in a 16-hour standoff and man hunt after he tried to kill Seminole police officers. When he was caught, he was found to be in the company of another 15-year-old girl wearing nothing but a bikini. Her family told JohnTV they had evidence he was trafficking her as well.
– Original article regarding Hudson’s probation sentence. (link)
– Article regarding Hudson’s arrest for trying to kill police while on probation. (link) - Jarrod Donte Mustin: Oklahoma County pimp treated with kid gloves after victimizing women in our city. (link)
- Texas Sex Traffickers of a teenage girl given probation only in Oklahoma County. (link)
- Quwan Shamar Harrison: Violent felony sex trafficker was sentenced to only probation and a $50 fine for pimping a teenage girl. (link)
- Ali Hussain Al Yousuf: A UCO senior who admitted to running a brothel out of his Edmond apartment. When he was arrested, in the brothel apartment was his younger girlfriend, her teenage sister and an infant. DA Prater agreed to a sentence of probation only and no conviction and no criminal record. (link)
- Jeremy Eugene Steelman: This 36-year-old man who was forcibly pimping out a teenage girl was only given probation and community service. (link)
- Henry T. Thornton: A local felon with a long list of convictions ranging from drug possession to prostitution and pimping. In 2010 Thornton, know as ‘T-Nutty’, kidnapped a woman he did not know from i front of a convenience store. He then savagely raped her, dump her on the side of the road and took her car. DA Prater felt only 8-years in prison would be sufficient. (link)
- Adrian Damon Easlick: A local felon and registered sex offender with a criminal resume that includes individual cases for drug possession, multiple rape counts, oral sodomy, pimping, drugs in the presence of a child, aiding and abetting prostitution, failure to comply with the sex offender registration act, kidnapping and involuntary servitude. Even with that past, DA Prater felt he was justified in sentencing Easlick to only nine-years in prison. Even though he was also in violation of a previous rape conviction that meant he should be returned to jail for 15-years for that violation alone. (link)
Not only does DA Prater not routinely lock up men who victimize women. He also has a practice of protecting those that have connections to his office.
DA Prater and I were on the phone together in Oct. of 2013. I mentioned to him that I was concerned because he and his office had been not filing criminal charges on men who were arrested for prostitution that I knew had connections to his office. This even though all the other men caught in the same stings were prosecuted.
DA Prater asked me to send him a list of those men’s names and he told me he would have someone get on it right away and get back to me with why charges were not filed in each case.
So, I sent DA Prater a list containing the names of a local millionaire, a news media person, and two local lawyers.
I waited, and I waited.
Two months later, in Dec. of 2013, I sent a followup email to DA David Prater. In that email I simply asked if he had found time to look into the information because he acted like it was of great concern to him.
That same day I received the following response; “Brian, I wouldn’t assume anything except that I have been too busy to follow-up on your information. I hope to do that soon, but I don’t have a timeline for you. David”
Its now Jan. of 2016, well over two years later, and DA Prater has literally never spoken to me since.
Obviously he looked into my accusations, he didn’t like what he saw, so it was easier to just hope I’d go away. Guess again!
I think I’ve made my point.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater will say whatever he needs to say at whatever time he needs to say it. But, the facts speak for themselves. DA Prater is no protector of women. In fact, DA Prater enables their abuse on a regular basis by returning the perpetrators to our streets.
One of my favorite recorded quotes from DA Prater – said about me during a public speaking opportunity we both attended at a local church, “If we were doing our jobs, Brian wouldn’t have to be doing his.”