Date of Offense
Supporting Document(s)
Statement
CLEET Number : 0122051
License Type : Fulltime Peace Officer
License Category : Intermediate Certification
License Status : Active
License Effective Date : 09/04/2009
License Expiry Date : N/A
UPDATE: September 23, 2025 - PLEA OF NOLO CONTENDERE WITH STIPULATION TO PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT AS "SUFFICIENT FACTUAL BASIS":
Undersheriff Markus "Mark" Ward of the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office currently faces disturbing allegations of child abuse, backed by a detailed four-page probable cause affidavit issued by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation [OSBI](see attached). The OSBI Affidavit outlines a horrific pattern of ongoing physical abuse against Ward’s minor son. The details are harrowing: according to the agent’s findings, Ward repeatedly used excessive force despites de-escalation skills likely learned through CLEET law enforcement training -- to harm his own child. The OSBI made clear in its findings that the evidence substantiates that likley abuse occurred.
Despite the strength and specificity of the OSBI affidavit, the prosecution of Ward has taken a deeply troubling turn. The case was assigned to District Attorney Mark Matloff of McCurtain County. Instead of prosecuting Ward to the full extent of the law for crimes against a child, Matloff opted to charge him merely with misdemeanor domestic assault and battery.
Then, In accordance with a negotiates plea deal with DA Matloff's office that never involved the victim, Matloff agreed to amend the domestic violence misdemeanor to a simple assault and battery charge. The terms of this deal, if approved, will allow Ward to enter a no contest plea, avoid jail time, and pay only a fine. As a result, according to sources, Ward will be able to continues serving in law enforcement and will retains the legal right to carry a firearm.
Equally alarming is the role of Judge John Sullivan in these proceedings. Sullivan had previously recused himself from a related protective order case [CM-2024-00176] that involved the same parties and similar allegations, citing a conflict of interest. Yet, when the criminal case against Ward came before him, he chose not to independently recuse. That case involves the same accused individual, the same victim, and nearly identical facts, making the judge’s reversal both legally and ethically suspect. Lending an appearance of impropriety and raises serious questions about impartiality in a prosecution involving a sitting undersheriff from within his judicial district.
The most appalling aspect of this situation, however, may be the broader implications for child welfare in Latimer County. Undersheriff Ward, the very officer the OSBI has concluded abused his own child, is reportedly still responsible for transporting other children to forensic interviews in ongoing child abuse cases. The notion that a law enforcement officer with a documented history of violence against a minor is being trusted to interact with other vulnerable children is not just ethically indefensible; it is a direct threat to their safety and to the credibility of the investigative process.
The plea hearing for Ward is was scheduled for March 18, 2025. On March 4, 2025, THE VICTIM IN THIS CASE MADE A RULE 15 REQUEST FOR RECUSAL. Judge Sullivan granted the request for recusal and striked the Plea hearing from the schedule, assigning the case to Judge Brian Henderson.
This matter raises fundamental Brady disclosure concerns. Any officer who has been credibly accused, and especially criminally charged, with violent acts involving dishonesty, abuse of authority, or risk to public trust must be disclosed to the defense in all criminal proceedings in which they are, or have been, involved. Ward’s continued presence in law enforcement not only undermines the integrity of the criminal justice process but endangers the very children he is tasked with protecting.
This report serves as a separate and PUBLIC preservation of the the OSBI affidavit for the purposes of PROPER BRADY DISCLOSURE by the Latimer County District Attorney's Office.
Cases known to have involved Undersheriff Mark Ward include, but may not be limited to:
CF-2009-00029 02/18/2009 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. STATHAM, JAMES KEVIN
CM-2009-00131 03/04/2009 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. NUNN, DAVID DARRELL
CM-2009-00244 04/27/2009 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. ANDERSON, BRIAN MICHAEL
CM-2009-00308 06/02/2009 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. BARNHILL, BILLY JOE
CM-2011-00166 05/02/2011 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. PATE, LINDA LOU
CF-2022-00022 04/14/2022 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. SMITH, SEAN CONNER
CF-2022-00023 04/14/2022 STATE OF OKLAHOMA VS. BRIDGMAN, KRISTA NICOLE
We will not stand by as our brothers and sisters are brutalized, criminalized, and silenced.
We reject a world where the powerful profit from our poverty and our lives are treated as expendable. We will not wait for justice to be handed down from above.
We will organize, resist, and take it for ourselves.
WE ARE NO LONGER ASKING...
#ReformIsNotARequest
