Prosecutors Drop Indecent Exposure Charges Against Okla. Judge
Oklahoma Judge Jesse Harris won’t have to stand trial for indecent exposure, but he has to complete a judicial counseling program and pay $1,200 as part of a deferred prosecution agreement on a lesser charge.
Prosecutors dropped the indecent exposure charge against Harris, a Tulsa County judge, on Monday, the day the trial was scheduled to begin, the Tulsa World reports. District Attorney Rick Esser, the Washington County prosecutor appointed to handle the case, told the Tulsa World in a later story that the two women who had accused Harris wanted to resolve the case rather than go forward.
The deferred prosecution agreement is for a misdemeanor charge—gross injury of the public peace. The misdemeanor charge will also be dropped if Harris completes the terms of the agreement. One requirement calls for him to attend a counseling program with other judges called Judges Helping Judges. Another requires him to pay $1,200 to cover the cost of witness travel.
Harris had been accused of exposing himself to his ex-girlfriend and another woman in a hotel parking lot. Harris not only denied the charge, he also filed a civil defamation suit against his accusers.
