Yukon Public Schools board members could face criminal charges

Yukon police chief John Corn said he hasn't been approached about investigating the district for open meetings violations. Violating the state's open meeting and records laws is a misdemeanor.

Corn said such an investigation would mean venturing into new territory for the department.

“I don't think we've ever investigated a case involving open records ... and I've been here 25 years,” he said. “But nobody's solicited law enforcement's involvement. Nobody has even tried to make a formal complaint.”

Allegations of “skimming” and other possible misconduct within the school district have drawn the attention of multiple state agencies.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been looking into Yukon's agriculture program for a year.

Jessica Brown, an OSBI spokeswoman, said the bureau will soon submit its findings to the Canadian County district attorney's office. She said agents are nearly finished with the report, but must give priority to more violent crimes.

The state auditor and inspector office also is aware of the situation in Yukon.

State Auditor Gary Jones said “patrons of the district” have contacted his office, although he can't do anything until his agency's services are formally requested. He said certain elected officials or local district attorneys usually make such requests, although an audit can be commissioned by citizen petition.

“There's a patron of the school district that's provided us with quite a bit of information,” Jones said. “But we can't initiate an audit on our own. We have received no formal request.”