Court records cited by The Oklahoman detail a 2021 case involving Lepak asleep in a running pickup. Stitt had not publicly responded early Wednesday.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Attorney General Gentner Drummond called on Gov. Kevin Stitt Tuesday to fire Secretary of State Ben Lepak, escalating the fallout from Lepak’s Friday night arrest on suspicion of public intoxication.
Drummond issued the demand after reviewing body-camera footage from Edmond police officers involved in the arrest.
“After reviewing footage from law enforcement body cameras, it is clear that Secretary of State Ben Lepak was thoroughly inebriated and very likely lied to law enforcement about how much he had to drink and how he and his car both arrived at the same place without him driving it,” Drummond said.
Drummond called the conduct “thoroughly unbecoming” of a high-ranking state official and said Stitt should remove Lepak immediately.
Stitt had not publicly responded to the demand early Wednesday.
Friday night arrest
FOX 25 reported Monday that an Edmond officer found Lepak standing at the drive-through window of a McDonald’s shortly before 11 p.m. Friday.
According to the police report obtained by the station, officers said Lepak had extremely slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Lepak initially denied drinking but later said he had consumed a beer without finishing it, the station reported.
The report also said Lepak denied driving to the restaurant, although his vehicle was in the parking lot.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office told FOX 25 that Lepak was waiting outside the restaurant for dinner and had not been given a breath test. The statement said Lepak would address the ticket through the legal process.
Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward told The Oklahoman that the case will be handled in Edmond Municipal Court.
OK Politics Today has requested the police report from the Edmond Police Department.
Earlier arrest
Drummond also cited an earlier arrest in arguing that Stitt should have known better than to hire Lepak. He said Lepak had been arrested “just a few years ago” after being found unconscious in a running vehicle.
Court records reviewed by The Oklahoman show that The Village police took Lepak into custody in 2021 on suspicion of being intoxicated while in control of a vehicle.
An officer’s affidavit said Lepak was asleep in a parked pickup that had been left running. The officer reported finding two open 12-ounce beer cans in the cup holders, including one that was empty.
Breath-test readings ranged from 0.11% to 0.12%, above the 0.08% legal limit, the newspaper reported. Court records showed Lepak received a one-year deferred sentence.
Stitt appointed Lepak as his general counsel in October 2024. Lepak became acting secretary of state in 2025 and received the permanent appointment earlier this year.
Drummond’s demand comes during the final week of his Republican runoff for governor against Mike Mazzei, who has Stitt’s endorsement.
Correction: An earlier version of this story linked Drummond’s description of Lepak being found unconscious in a running vehicle to a June 2022 Edmond booking report. A 2021 arrest by The Village police detailed in court records matches the circumstances Drummond described.
