Judge asked to revoke ex-sheriff's plea bargain

GUTHRIE, Okla. (AP) -- A judge has set a Jan. 19 hearing to decide whether to withdraw a plea agreement and deferred sentence given to former Logan County Sheriff Craig Platt after he pleaded guilty to embezzlement.

A motion to withdraw the plea was filed last week by District Attorney Rob Hudson, who has said Platt contradicted statements he made to the court in his guilty plea when he talked to the news media after his court appearance.

Platt was charged on Dec. 20 with a single felony count of embezzlement. He pleaded guilty the next day under a plea agreement.

Platt received a five-year deferred sentence and agreed to pay $2,903 in restitution, perform 100 hours of community service and not hold public office for seven years.

After the plea, Platt told a television reporter that he "was not a thief," that "in some ways, yes" he felt betrayed by others. When asked if he had been stabbed in the back, he said "you might say that" and that he had not taken anything from the county, a court affidavit filed by Hudson said.

Hudson said that by pleading guilty and then contradicting his plea, Platt is endangering the integrity of the criminal justice system. He said judges do not accept guilty pleas from people who believe they are not guilty.

"What we believe the court needs to inquire with the defendant about is that he can't have it both ways. Either he is guilty or he isn't guilty," Hudson said.

"If he's going to maintain he's innocent to the public, then he needs a jury trial. He needs to tell somebody the truth whether it be the court or the public," he said.