Lawmaker Who’s Guilty of Domestic Assault Forgets To Resign…

Last night, AG Gentner dropped a divebomb on the Oklahoma media when he announced State Rep. Ty Burns – a military veteran, former sheriff’s deputy, and the prototype for every controlling, abusive-father movie villain ever created – had pled guilty to three misdemeanor domestic abuse and assault charges stemming from “family situations” involving his wife, their kids, and other relatives.

He will receive no jail time and instead be sent to something they really call "batterer counseling."

While the TV news just kind of ran with Gentner’s announcement for the 10 p.m. late edition, The Wokelahoman and Yawn Doc both took deep dives into the accusations that led to the guilty plea.

They’re pretty disturbing.

In one dispute, Burns nearly poked his wife’s eye out because she wanted to grab some drinks with friends. In another, he tracked down his grandmother-in-law and teenage daughter while they fled one of his volatile outbursts, and ran their van off the road with his pickup.

According to his teenage daughter, she thought they were going to die:

Burns’ wife opened the van door and told the grandmother to take the 16-year-old daughter with her, telling her to hurry and “go, go, go.” The affidavit said Burns then got in his truck and chased the van with the grandmother and girl inside. The representative eventually passed the van and blocked the road.

The affidavit said Burns told the grandmother he was going to kill her while the teen screamed that Burns was going to hurt them. The grandmother was able to flee in the van, and Burns pursued them again. According to the affidavit, the 16-year-old called her mother and said, “He is going to hurt us. Mama, make him stop. Please, he is going to kill us.”

You can check out those news reports, or – if you want – go straight to the source and read the affidavit for the arrest warrant.

It can be hard to follow, but Burns basically comes off as a scary, short-tempered, volatile dude in need of some intense therapy:

Although I believe in second chances and all that woke stuff, I have to say that three misdemeanors and a one-year suspended sentence seems kind of like a light sentence.

I know these familial situations can add various complexities to a case, and a PTSD-related mental breakdown (i.e., illness) is definitely at play, but the law is the law. It's not far-fetched to believe that if he were an immigrant and/or not a former cop and military veteran who serves in Republican politics, he would have received a harsher sentence.

Then again, maybe not.

Following Gentner’s playbook, leaving a frail elderly man permanently disabled over a shoulder-tap gets you a certificate of approval for following the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Training Manual, so maybe we should feel fortunate Burns was charged with anything at all.

Here’s how Gentner explained the plea deal:

“These are serious charges,“ Drummond said. “While there is no excuse for domestic violence, I am encouraged that the representative has taken responsibility for his actions and will receive counseling under terms of his sentence. Domestic violence is tragically all too common in our state. It must stop.”

Yep, that’s right. These are serious charges, and he’s taken responsibility for his actions. Obviously, that means Burns has apologized, accepted responsibility, and resigned from office to focus on himself and begin the healing process… right?

Actually:

“I take full responsibility for my actions and have started a year-long batterers intervention program and am getting treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and learning how to deal with past experiences in a more healthy manner. I know I must do better for myself and my family. I deeply regret what occurred and am prepared to be held accountable for my actions. I am stepping down from my position as chair of the Appropriations and Budget Finance Subcommittee so I can focus on my family and serving my constituents,” Burns wrote.

Listen. I understand PTSD is a serious thing, and it’s good he’s getting help, but it’s not an end-all excuse. Lots of people have it, but they’re not all trying to poke out their wife’s eyeball because she wants to go out for a girls’ night:

During OSBI’s investigation of the April incident, Burns’ wife “told investigators about a separate incident in which she was physically assaulted by [Burns]” at their residence.

“[She] told investigators that last Thanksgiving holiday (2024), [she] made plans to do something with friends and Ty got mad at her,” Stevens wrote. “[She] told Ty he was too controlling, and that she was going. Ty followed [his wife] into the bathroom. Ty was pointing at [her] and then forcefully tried to gouge her eye out with his finger. Ty broke a blood vessel in [her] eye. As a result of her eye injury, [she] could not go to work the whole next week. [The family friend] confirmed having seen [her friend] with injury to her eye.”

Once again, I know PTSD is a disease, and I have friends who have it. It’s a scary thing. But A) the guy hasn't been cured yet, and B) you can’t have a dude who’s freakin’ attending a year-long batterers intervention program serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He needs to resign or be forced out of office.

Obviously, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert would agree.

He’s a girl dad like me, and obviously thinks any man who attempts to physically harm his daughter has no business serving in politics. Right?

Well, actually:

“There is no place in society for domestic violence of any kind,” House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) said in a statement. “I appreciate Rep. Burns taking ownership for his actions and seeking treatment.”

Yep, he took ownership for his actions by… pleading guilty to three misdemeanors in return for no jail time and getting to keep his job. That seems like a helluva deal! Whoever his lawyer was should get a raise for working out that deal.

In fact, who was his lawyer? Oddly enough…

Burns is represented by his colleague, Rep. Chris Kannady, in the criminal case. Kannady (R-OKC) is an attorney and the state staff judge advocate for the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

Oh, he was reped by an influential lawmaker who also served in the military. That must be nice, especially if you want the state house to work exclusively with the AG to minimize fallout from this scandal and make it disappear as quietly as possible.

Obviously, State Democrats see through this attempt by the, ironically enough, law-and-order wing of the Republican Party to protect one of their own, and are calling for Burns to step down immediately.

Yeah, I do agree we deserve better, but come on, that’s it? Where’s the press release calling for an immediate resignation? In today’s day and age, you can’t have a guy who just pled guilty to three very serious domestic abuse charges representing the Oklahoma people!

I wonder what Cyndi Munson had to say about it. She works in the state house with Burns and is running for governor. She obviously has to be calling for him to step down.

Let’s check out her latest TikTok:

Oh, Cyndi’s most recent TikTok video is from a county fair she visited last weekend. In fact, she's yet to address it on her social media channel. It's good to know she's on top of things, huh?

Anyway, while I believe Burns should step down or be removed from office — and that his continued presence is yet another example of the hypocritical moral failings of the state GOP — you almost have to give these guys credit for making the scandal come and go as quickly and cleanly as possible.

From announcing the news right before a holiday weekend to rolling out pre-polished quotes, they kept it quiet, stuck to the playbook, and made sure their guy walked away with the lightest slap on the wrist imaginable. In that sense, they deserve a round of applause. It’s also no wonder so many white men with addiction and anger management issues want to serve in Republican politics.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.