OKLAHOMA CITY –The Governor’s Office would not say Tuesday whether Oklahoma’s secretary of state will remain on the job following an arrest for public intoxication.
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the Friday arrest of Secretary of State Benjamin M. Lepak, who Stitt appointed to the post in October.
Lepak, 42, of Edmond, was arrested Friday on a municipal charge of public intoxication after Edmond police said they encountered him at about 10:45 p.m. on foot outside the drive-through window of a McDonald’s, according to a police report.
An officer wrote in his report that Lepak had “extremely slurred speech” and could smell alcohol on his breath, according to the police report.
Lepak seemed to struggle to remove his identification from his wallet, the report said.
Lepak told officers he had driven to the McDonald’s, but later said he had not, according to the police report. His car was parked at the restaurant, the report said.
Lepak said he had been to a church event earlier. He said he had consumed less than one beer after telling police he had consumed no alcohol and offered to get an Uber home, the report said.
He told officers that he had been eating healthy, and it was his night to get McDonald’s, the police report said.
“Based on Lepak’s extremely slurred speech, the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, and his inability to maintain a coherent train of thought when responding to officers’ questions,” Lepak was arrested for public intoxication and taken to the Edmond jail, according to the report.
A spokesperson for Lepak said in a statement Tuesday that he was waiting outside the McDonald’s for dinner.
“He was not given a breathalyzer test,” the spokesperson said. “Mr. Lepak will address the ticket appropriately through the legal process.”
The spokesperson did not respond to a question about his employment status.
Lepak had previously served as Stitt’s general counsel.
Typically considered Oklahoma’s top clerical official, the secretary of state is responsible for a variety of tasks, including overseeing the state’s initiative petition process, maintaining the record of legislative and executive actions and keeping a database of registered businesses.
Originally published on oklahomavoice.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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