Stitt donor’s removal from GPS monitoring comes as she challenges a law tightening the program’s eligibility rules.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sara Polston is back in prison and faces two felony charges alleging she voted illegally in statewide elections while serving a felony sentence.
The charges filed Friday in Cleveland County District Court concern the June 16 primary and Aug. 25 runoff.
“The reality is that no one, including Sara Polston, is above the law,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Friday.
A voter registration record provided Friday by the Oklahoma State Election Board records Polston’s participation in both elections. It lists her as an active registered Republican in Cleveland County.
Each count carries a standard penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both. Polston’s prior felony conviction could increase the prison range to two to 10 years per count if prosecutors seek and establish a sentencing enhancement.
The Department of Corrections confirmed Polston was placed Thursday at the Mabel Bassett Assessment and Reception Center. She is serving an eight-year sentence for a 2023 drunk-driving crash that seriously injured Micaela Borrego. She was transferred to GPS monitoring after 73 days behind bars.
Her release drew scrutiny because she and her husband, Rod, were contributors to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s campaigns. A multicounty grand jury reported in May that Stitt made multiple calls to Corrections officials on her behalf and found political favoritism in the handling of her case.
The grand jury found insufficient evidence to establish that a crime had been committed in connection with her release. Stitt denied he did any favors for Polston.
Polston filed a federal lawsuit in August seeking to block her removal from monitoring under Senate Bill 137, which takes effect Nov. 1 and tightens eligibility for the program.
Friday’s federal notice says Thursday’s reassignment instead rested on existing program rules requiring participants to obey the law. The attorney general’s office notified the federal court of the change; the notice does not announce a ruling on her lawsuit.
The state court docket also shows Judge Michael Tupper recused himself from the voting case Friday and referred it for reassignment.
Updated to include the voting charges, voter registration record and potential punishment.
