Oklahoma Attorney General To Work With OSBI In Swadley's Investigation

The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office will take over the Swadley investigation going forward, instead of the Oklahoma County DA.

The case alleges the misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars, in a contract to put the barbecue restaurant at state parks.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond said this investigation impacts all Oklahoma taxpayers, so it should be investigated by his office.

Drummond said when OSBI is done investigating, it will be up to his office to determine if anyone faces charges after Swadley’s received $16.7 million from the state to renovate and operate restaurants at state parks.

“First of all, we're gonna see did the vendor act illegally? Inappropriately? Beyond just a breach of contract. We'll also look back on the state actors side. Did we properly oversee, manage, direct, did we enter into a contract correctly, compliant with the law? We'll go A to Z and then see what falls out,” Drummond said.

Drummond predicts OSBI will complete its investigation by mid-February.

From there, Drummond's investigators will pick up the case. He said his office will likely determine within a month if anyone will be charged.

"I will promise you thoroughness, and aggressiveness,” Drummond said.

The state canceled its contract with Swadley’s last spring, and Tourism and Recreation Director Jerry Winchester resigned.

Just a few months on the job, the new director, Shelley Zumwalt, wants to see big changes in the department.

"It's tourism right? I'm the state director of fun, essentially, but this agency has a really complicated past,” Zumwalt said.

Zumwalt has more than a decade of experience working for the state, most recently as the director of the OESC.

"That knowledge didn't really prepare me for the financial issues that I encountered, as well as an undercurrent of fear and a toxic culture that permeated many areas of the agency,” she said while speaking to legislators about two weeks ago.

Zumwalt also emphasized she thinks the department's problems are "fixable."

"We're making significant strides at the agency, towards an open and transparent environment,” she said.

News On 6 called an attorney representing Swadleys for comment and did not hear back.

In the past, that attorney has said, "The notion that there was ... any special treatment for Swadley's is just a false narrative."