Judge Unseals Rogers County Petition Signatures

A judge has ordered the unsealing of the signatures on a petition requesting a grand jury investigation into Rogers County officials, including the local district attorney.

Grady County District Judge Richard Van Dyck on Monday said the completed petition containing more than 7,000 signatures should be unsealed. Van Dyck says the unsealing is necessary "in the interest of justice and transparency."

The petition asks a grand jury to determine whether District Attorney Janice Steidley should be removed from office for alleged corruption and misconduct.

10/3/2013 Related Story: Petition Seeking Rogers County Grand Jury Filed

Rogers County Election Board officials are still verifying whether the petition contains 4,487 valid signatures of registered voters.

An October 18 hearing is set on whether a grand jury should be convened.

Steidley has denied the allegations and says the petition drive is politically motivated.

The petition also names Assistant District Attorneys Bryce Lair, David Iski and Timothy Wantland, as well as commissioners Kirt Thacker and Mike Helm.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.