Preliminary Hearing Begins For Judge

By Jeffrey Smith, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A Tulsa County District Court judge accused of exposing himself to two women was in court on Thursday.  Jesse Harris is facing felony charges for indecent exposure.  Harris's ex-girlfriend says he fondled himself in a motel parking lot back in March.

Judge Jesse Harris is a well-known judicial official here in Tulsa.  He's been a district judge for about 15 years.  And, there are only about 30 district judges in the county.  So, given Harris's profession and the accusation that he exposed himself in public, this is a case that is going to attract a lot of attention.

The victim, Kally Nolen, says she dated Judge Harris for years.  She says she broke it off last year, but claims that Harris would still send harassing phone calls.  She says she still wanted to be his friend and when she called him for a favor in March, he took it the wrong way.  She claims he came to her motel and made sexual advances.

"I started to cry and became very emotional on the stand.  But, it is very difficult.  It is very difficult, just to relive it, to have to re-tell it. It's very embarrassing.  It's highly embarrassing," said Kally Nolen.

Harris's defense attorneys basically tried to portray Nolen as a professional victim.  They indicate she is someone who has a long record of claiming false abuse from former boyfriends and former family members.  Plus, they say she's an out-of-work aspiring singer who's using this to further her fame.

Thursday was day one of the preliminary hearing.  That's where a judge decides if there's enough evidence to go to trial.  Harris will be back in court in three weeks because the defense is now arguing that Nolen violated the judge's orders by talking to the media.

Harris faces a fine and possible jail time.  But, if convicted, he'll also be disbarred.  Even if he's convicted of a misdemeanor, he won't be a district judge anymore.

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