Scott McLain
MUSGOGEE – Scott Michael McLain, a former undersheriff, sheriff and later jail administrator in McCurtain County, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 15 and that indictment was unsealed on Wednesday, records show.
McLain is accused in an alleged conspiracy to violate the civil rights of former jail inmate Roper Harris.
McLain obtained legal representation after receiving an FBI “target letter,” and is scheduled for trial in Muskogee on September 1.
McLain is free on $10,000 bond until then.
According to the indictment, the grand jury found that:
- McLain was jail administrator here in 2021.
- On Sept. 15, 2021, he learned that Roper Harris (who had an allegedly stormy relationship with McLain’s stepdaughter) was being brought to the county jail.
- McLain told a co-conspirator to give Harris the “royal treatment,” meaning to use force against Harris even though there was no justification for it.
- Then on Sept. 15, McLain directed another co-conspirator to bribe an inmate to assault Harris, and to facilitate this, the co-conspirator should then place Harris in a cell block with the bribed inmate.
- That co-conspirator did as instructed, offering a bribe to an inmate of commissary or tobacco items if he would assault Harris.
- An inmate accepted the offer.
- On Sept. 15, McLain told the second conspirator, just as he had the first, that Harris was to receive the “royal treatment.”
- On that same day, Harris was indeed assaulted in the cell.
- On the following day, McLain directed the second conspirator to the location of the items promised to the inmate.
- (McLain) “knowingly and willfully combined, conspired, and agreed with others known to the grand jury, to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate (Roper Harris), in the free exercise of his right, protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a person acting under color of law.”
- McLain later gave false statements to the OSBI, saying that he had not directed the assault.
- The two co-conspirators also gave false statements to the OSBI, saying they had not been directed by McLain to have Harris assaulted.
- McLain later told one conspirator that he should stick with the statements made to the OSBI and told the other co-conspirator not to say anything about what really happened.
McLain was first hired as a jailer here in 1996, and later held every job at the sheriff’s office, including patrol deputy, patrol supervisor, investigator, commander of the criminal investigative division and commander of the special emergency response team.
He then served seven years as undersheriff.
When former sheriff Johnny Tadlock stepped down to run for state representative, county commissioners in 2014 appointed McLain sheriff.
McLain ran for the office in 2016, but was defeated by Kevin Clardy.
When McLain ran for sheriff in 2016, he made the following pledges to voters:
“The only promise that I can, and will make, is that I promise to do the very best I can for the citizens of McCurtain County…
“Last year, we put ‘In God We Trust’ on all patrol vehicles, and we will continue to serve the county in that manner – always putting God first.”
“I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. As your sheriff, I will defend your constitutional rights, to the best of my ability, against transgressive federal or state agencies.”
After being assaulted, Roper Harris filed a lawsuit that is currently on hold in federal court – now awaiting the outcome of McLain’s trial.
McLain’s life has included some terrible tragedy.
After his 18-year-old son Jake was murdered in Oklahoma City in 2019, he was so distraught that he reportedly slept beside his son’s grave for many weeks.
