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Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Scott Crow announced he was stepping down Monday after helping oversee the state's resumption of executions after a nearly seven-year hiatus.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Crowe did not give a reason for his resignation, but said, "He is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever faced." Stated.
Crow, who was appointed Director in 2019 by Gov. Kevin Stitt, has worked for the agency for nearly 25 years and helped oversee the state's reopening of drug injection practices. In 2020, he joined Stitt and then-Attorney General Mike Hunter in announcing a plan to secure a source for the state's lethal injection drug and advance pending executions following a string of death room accidents.
Crowe was placed in a death chamber for the final four lethal injections in Oklahoma, including the October 2021 execution of John Marion Grant. I was in
In testifying before a federal judge earlier this year, Crow admitted that the state had used the wrong drug labels in the last three executions, but despite the error, he He said he was "100% sure" that the proper drugs had been used.
"I was not at all happy with that turn of events," Crowe said at the hearing.
Crow joined the agency in 1996 after a career in law enforcement. His final date as director is October 31st.
