Lawmakers call again for special session

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Two inmates remained at large late Monday and a workers' union and state senator said their flight and abduction of a woman at a prison in Lexington showed the need for a special

Tuesday, October 18th 2005, 8:15 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Two inmates remained at large late Monday and a workers' union and state senator said their flight and abduction of a woman at a prison in Lexington showed the need for a special session to address prison security.

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association and Sen. Kenneth Corn called on House Speaker Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, to drop his opposition to a special meeting of legislators to appropriate money to hire more prison guards.

Aaron Olsen, 39, and Pharon Johnson, 49, were being sought after a woman was abducted by two men who fled from a parking lot in her van. The woman, a visitor at the prison, was released unharmed.

The Senate met Aug. 31 in special session and appropriated an extra $11 million for the Department of Corrections to be used to speed up the hiring of prison guards.

House Speaker Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, never agreed to the meeting, however. Senate Republican Leader Glen Coffee voted for the appropriation, but accused Democrats of engaging in a ``meaningless'' exercise.

``If Republicans in the House would have showed up to do the job their constituents elected them to do, perhaps we could have avoided the prison escape and kidnaping that occurred last night in Lexington,'' said Corn, D-Poteau.

``We have been saying for months that the critically low staffing at our correctional facilities is not only a hazard to the employees, but also to the general public,'' said Gary Jones, executive director of the OPEA. ``Sadly, our words weren't enough, because now we have a convicted murderer and serial rapist on the loose.

``Thankfully, no one has been hurt yet, but what more has to happen before Speaker Hiett understands the DOC is facing a crisis.''

Hiett was not available for comment, but Sen. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, accused Corn of trying to ``exploit a dangerous situation for political gain.''

Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, had similar comments. ``The problem with prison funding did not occur overnight _ and there is no overnight fix,'' he said.

Olsen is serving a life sentence for a 1995 murder and Johnson is serving a 210-year sentence for a string of robberies and rapes in 1982 and 1983.

They escaped from the Joseph Harp Correctional Center at Lexington, which the OPEA said has a staffing vacancy rate of about 28 percent. Joseph Harp is authorized to have 184 positions, but has been able to hire only 133 people, counting seven who are in training, Jones said.

Jones said the DOC is ``literally a ticking time bomb and frankly, Oklahomans deserve better.''