TCSO Sheriff Candidate Receives Over $34,000 In Donations From One Company

The candidate for Tulsa County sheriff with the most donations has received about a quarter of them from one manufacturing company.

News On 6 and our partner, The Frontier, wanted to know who those donors are. Surprisingly, six of the 14 people are not registered to vote in Oklahoma - together, their donations total almost $35,000.

Vic Regalado, a Republican candidate for Tulsa County sheriff, has raised more than $158,000 for his campaign.

When it comes to campaign contributions, other candidates can't compete.

Luke Sherman has raised almost $37,000. John Fitzpatrick has raised almost $30,000.

But, about a quarter of Regalado's donations has come from employees of one company - ISTI Plant Services, at the Port of Catoosa.

Fourteen employees and their spouses have given the maximum amount you can donate as an individual - $2,700 - or just under that amount, altogether contributing $34,600.

2/9/2016 Related Story: Tulsa County Sheriff Candidates Speak At Republican Women’s Club

We knocked on the doors of several donors who are ISTI company executives, hoping to ask them why they support Regalado for sheriff.

We have not made contact with the donors or a company spokesperson.

Regalado released a statement saying, in part, "Anonymous accusations from opposing campaigns are not worthy of comment, much less newsprint. Our campaign is honored to have received a wide range of support."

Fitzpatrick said the donations look like "somebody purchasing the sheriff's office," and Sherman's campaign said, "You don't get a maxed-out contribution without knowing who the [donor] is."

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission says if the contributions are reported on an individual basis, individuals can make donations, regardless of their employer.

The Republican primary for Tulsa County sheriff is Tuesday.

Our partner, The Frontier, is continuing to follow these developments and will have more on their website over the weekend.