In case you missed it, late last week – on Thursday evening before a holiday weekend, if we’re being exact – Oklahoma AG / soon-to-be Governor Gentner Drummond announced that State Representative Ty Burns “received a one-year suspended sentence” after pleading guilty “to one misdemeanor count of domestic abuse and two misdemeanor counts of assault.”
He’ll also have to go through something called a Batterers Intervention Program.
“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.”
The whole thing was shocking and generated various levels of outrage for a variety of reasons…
1. The sentence seemed kind of light.
Sure, he’s a first-time offender, suffered from what George Carlin would call “shell shock,” and there are complexities to any domestic situation, but… the dude seemed to get off kind of light. He just has to be on good behavior for a year, say the right things, go to some therapy and classes, and that’s that.
2. The powers that be – lawmakers, law enforcement, AG’s office, etc. – seemed to work extra hard to keep the investigation quiet, under wraps, and out of public view.