CRIMINAL CASE: Oklahoma v. King (2008 criminal defamation investigation)

Status: No charges filed

Separate criminal complaints were made by Pittsburg County, Okla. District Attorney Jim Bob Miller; and Billie Jean Stipe, and her son Wayne Stripe of McAlester, Okla., against McAlester Watercooler (http://www.mccooler.net/) publisher Harold King. (Billie Jean Stipe is the widow of businessman Francis Stipe, who was the brother of former State Senator Gene Stipe, who filed a 2005 complaint against the same site.) After Miller recused himself, the case was referred to Kay County District Attorney Mark Gibson for investigation.  Although no charges were filed against King over the site, although District Attorney Miller agreed not to seek re-election as part of a deferred prosecution agreement over his efforts to discover the identities of posters to the McAlester Watercooler site.