Republican Oklahoma Rep. Dean Davis was arrested on Thursday for public drunkenness, according to reports.
Oklahoma City police said that Davis, 50, was among a group of people who stayed on the patio of Skinny Slim’s, a pub located downtown, at around 2:11 a.m. on Thursday. Officers ordered everyone to vacate the patio because it is against the law for patrons to continue drinking after the bar closes at 2 a.m.
State Rep. Dean Davis (R-Broken Arrow) was arrested by Oklahoma City Police for public drunkenness at 3:45 Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/Zy4mBJRSPA
— Storme Jones (@StormeJones) March 23, 2023
Body camera footage released by the police on Friday shows the lawmaker appearing to be insulted and confused after he was asked to put his drink down and leave the premises.
Davis later demanded the arresting officers to call their supervisors and warned them of the consequences to come.
“You chose the wrong person, congratulations,” he was heard telling the officers as he claimed he was “privileged from arrest during the session of the Legislature.”
“You can’t detain me!” the politician cried.
“I can, and I am right now,” the officer responded.
Police said that no one had called to report Davis and his friends as they were patrolling the area at 2 a.m. last Thursday.
The arrest report also said that Davis told the officer that he “felt sorry for him” and that “we will see how this turns out” as he was being taken to the Oklahoma County Detention Center.
Democratic state Rep. Cyndi Munson condemned Davis’ behavior in a statement sent to KFOR.
“As a member of the House of Representatives, we are not above the law and must protect the public safety of all people. It is incumbent upon the Speaker to respond soon. As Leader of the House Chamber, it is important to hold his members accountable to ensure the people’s business is conducted with integrity,” the statement read.
State Gov. Kevin Stitt, meanwhile, was more lenient on him when asked about the arrest during his weekly news conference on Friday.
“People sometimes make poor choices and … they need to be held accountable,” said Stitt. “So don’t know any specifics about that. But, you know, we’re going to be a law-and-order state in Oklahoma and we hold ourselves to higher standards, especially [as] public officials.”
