Official arrested in dispute State official arrested in dispute
By Randy Ellis
Published: June 11, 2008
The deputy director of the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission was arrested Tuesday on a complaint of refusing to leave the state attorney general's office when requested.
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Austin Gilley was placed on administrative leave with pay last week after a dispute with Susan Bussey, director of the Merit Protection Commission.
Gilley allegedly used a state computer to e-mail "inflammatory” information , Bussey said.
An assistant attorney general sent Gilley a letter Friday demanding that he return commission data backup tapes.
Charlie Price, spokesman for Attorney General Drew Edmondson, said a problem developed Tuesday morning when Gilley showed up at the attorney general's office with a briefcase.
Gilley turned over the tapes, but refused to provide passwords unless someone in the attorney general's office would take the whole briefcase. The employee refused to take it, and a call was made to state Department of Public Safety officials, who then made the decision to arrest Gilley, Price said.
