Oklahoma City District Attorney Candidates Respond To Mexico Arrest

Oklahoma County District Attorney Candidates respond to an Oklahoma woman, Courtney Wells, who was convicted of fraud being arrested in Mexico. Prosecutors said her co-defendant Chris Mayes helped plan the escape.

Court documents also said she told investigators that emails potentially exonerating Mayes were fake.

Those emails are now at the center of the DA race because they were submitted to the court in a motion for a new trial. Mayes’ lead counsel is DA Candidate Vicki Behenna.

News 9 spoke with both candidates about the latest developments in the case which was a point of contention in a debate two weeks ago.

Upon hearing about the arrest of Courtney Wells earlier this week, the Calvey campaign was quick to say his claims during the debate were vindicated. It was a point he reiterated Wednesday.

“Even a 10-year-old child could see that the documents Miss Behenna submitted were fake,” Calvey said. “And that her own client orchestrated the disappearance of Courtney Wells.”

Calvey also points to a motion from federal prosecutors which called into question the expert testimony given to verify the emails.

“You have to show that they have expertise in the matter to which they are testifying,” he said. “This particular person did not have those qualifications.”

Calvey believes the expert's qualifications and a motion claiming prosecutorial misconduct point to an attempt to commit fraud on the court.

“She’s up to her neck in this thing,” he claims. “It’s not one of those ‘well my client told me this and I took him at faith.’ No, she compounded that problem by her own actions.”

Behenna's team said she was in court regarding this case Wednesday.

Behenna sent a statement to News 9 saying:

Mr. Calvey’s attempts to smear my reputation are what you would expect from a desperate career politician and lobbyist who is currently under active investigation by the OSBI. This is what politicians do. This is not what an honest District Attorney does. I have spent 30 years in the legal system: as a U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the OKC bombing, and as Executive Director of the Innocence Project. Mr. Calvey has never prosecuted a case in Oklahoma. I’ll leave it to the voters to decide who is the most qualified to be their DA.

Following the hearing Wednesday, the judge revoked Mayes presentence release based on probably cause of fabrication of emails, but does not believe Behenna had any involvement with Mayes' unlawful activity.