Kuykendall and Mashburn to square off in District 21 DA's race

July 20, 2006 12:59 am

— Tim D. Kuykendall, 46, of Norman, is seeking a third term as district attorney for District 21, Cleveland, McClain and Garvin counties.
"I've been the elected district attorney for the past 12 years, and can think of no other job I'd rather have," Kuykendall said. "While there may be a great many headaches that go along with the job, it's often very rewarding, such as when you can help victims such as Juli Busken's mom and dad through a terrible ordeal."
Last February, a Cleveland County District Court jury found Anthony Sanchez guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape and forcible sodomy in the Dec. 20, 1996, abduction, rape and murder of Busken, 21, a ballet major at the University of Oklahoma. Sanchez, 27, was given the death penalty for the murder charge, 40 years on the rape charge and 20 years on the sodomy charge.
Kuykendall was born in Bristow and graduated from Bristow High School in 1976. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor of arts degree in 1980, and a juris doctorate at the University of Oklahoma Law School in 1983. His bar admissions include the state of Oklahoma and the United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit).
Kuykendall began his career serving as a legal intern at the Cleveland County District Attorney's office from 1983 to 1984. He served as assistant district attorney in District 21 from 1984 to 1995. He was elected District 21 District Attorney in 1994 (taking office in 1995) and was reelected in 1998 and 2002.
In seeking a fourth term, Kuykendall points to his "experience and success and the accomplishments of the office in prosecuting crimes over the last 12 years -- including 143 homicides, eight of which resulted in death penalties."
That success is reflected in the other divisions of the office, such as the Child Support Division, Kuykendall said.
"When I was elected 12 years ago, the child support division was listed as one of the worst in the state. In my last campaign, I bragged about it being named the best child support division in Oklahoma, and in 2005 it was named as best in the nation by the National Association of Child Support Enforcement. I'm also proud of the other programs we've implemented, such as the drug court program.
"While many people need to go to prison, others need rehabilitation," Kuykendall said.
The drug court program helps drug offenders change their behaviors, find employment, begin paying taxes and serving as productive members of society "as opposed to someone taking up bed space for which other citizens are paying," he said.
Kuykendall said he's also expecting positive results from the mental health court -- an innovative new program recently implemented in Cleveland County.
The Oklahoma District Attorney's Association named Kuykendall as Assistant District Attorney of the Year in 1992, and District Attorney of the Year in 1998.
His teaching experience includes the City of Norman Police Academy; City of Moore Police Department; Cleveland County Sheriff's Department; McClain County Sheriff's Department; and City of Pauls Valley Police Department.
Kuykendall is a member of the Norman Kiwanis Club; the Cleveland County Bar Association; McClain County Bar Association; Garvin County Bar Association; National Association of District Attorneys; National Association of Drug Court Professionals; and the National Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation.
He is a member of the McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church.
Kuykendall's wife, Evelyn Knisely, is a doctor of pharmacy. The couple's daughter, Monica, 18, is a student at OU.

As a longtime Norman citizen and Cleveland County resident, Greg Mashburn, 34, of Norman, said he’s “concerned about the safety of the community and the direction in which we’re headed.”
For the past eight years, Mashburn, 34, has served as assistant district attorney to Wes Lane in Oklahoma County, prosecuting cases ranging from white collar crimes to high-profile homicides, he said.
Mashburn said his main concern is “making sure the DA’s office in this district is successful prosecuting cases that will ensure our community remains the safe, successful community it’s been in the past.”
“Violent crime is up 20 percent in Norman,” he said. “I want to make sure my prosecutors are trying the right kinds of cases and are able to successfully prosecute those cases.”
Whether the outcome involves prison or community programs, Mashburn said it’s imperative the underlying behavior is altered so that criminals are not apt to commit crimes again.
“Whatever it takes to make sure that they don’t victimize anyone else,” he said.
Mashburn said the DA’s office “currently is winning only 34 percent of jury trials.”
“And they haven’t won a sex crime jury trial since 2002, having lost eight trials in a row involving sex offender cases,” he said. “What I see happening, either they’re prosecuting a lot of innocent people, or they’re prosecuting guilty people who are getting put back into our community.
“When that starts happening, the defendants are put in the driver’s seat on what happens with their cases. They can say, ‘Give me the deal I want or I’ll take it to jury trial where I have a two out of three chance of winning,’” Mashburn said.
As a result, sex offenders and violent repeat offenders are getting sentences they shouldn’t receive, Mashburn said.
“That’s why the crime rate is going up so much,” he said.
Mashburn said he thinks Tim Kuykendall is a nice person.
“I’m not throwing stones at him personally,” he said. “As a citizen concerned about the safety of the community and where we’re headed, I think it’s imperative we have a change in leadership in the DA’s office, for the good of the growing community.”
Mashburn grew up on a small family farm outside of Idabel. He later attended Harding University in Searcy, Ark., on scholarship to play football. Upon graduating in 1995, he returned to Oklahoma to attend the University of Oklahoma School of Law in Norman.
During his time at OU, Mashburn worked for the Oklahoma Bar Association assisting then-general counsel Dan Murdock in prosecuting attorney misconduct.
In his current work, Mashburn said his skills and leadership have led him to be placed in charge of training all incoming Oklahoma County DAs on how to be effective prosecutors. He continues to prosecute higher-profile special assignment cases as well, he said.
Mashburn is regularly invited to speak at law schools, civic groups and public schools on the role of the district attorney in a healthy, safe community.
He is a member of the Norman Sooner Rotary Club and the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Mashburn and his wife, Shannon, live in Norman and have two boys, Cade, 7, and Cole, 5. Both boys attend Eisenhower Elementary School where Shannon teaches. The Mashburns attend Alameda Church and are deeply committed to their faith in God and traditional values, Mashburn said.

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