OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, issued a statement Wednesday following the resignation of McCurtain County Commissioner Mark Jennings. His resignation came days after the release of a recording containing racist, hateful comments made following a county commissioner’s meeting.

“After I heard about what happened and listened to the audio recording, I personally spoke with both Mark Jennings and Sheriff Kevin Clardy, and told them they needed to resign immediately, and I told the sheriff his staff members who were involved also needed to step down.

“I’ve withheld comment as I gathered additional information and held those conversations with the commissioner and the sheriff. While Mark Jennings has now resigned, I continue to call on Sheriff Clardy, Investigator Alicia Manning, and Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix to do the right thing and submit their resignations as well.

“I live in McCurtain County, and I want to state emphatically that these horrible comments do not represent the heart and spirit of our citizens. It’s hurt the county, and our state. Innocent people are being impacted. When the words of public servants are so vile that they’re hurting the people they serve, they should no longer hold those positions.”