Open Records

By Associated Press

Muskogee, OK – Former clerk gets suspended sentence

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) The former clerk and treasurer in Boynton has pleaded guilty to two counts of violating Oklahoma's Open Records Act for refusing to let town trustees see water department records.

Pauline Osburn was given a suspended sentence following her plea Monday.

The 73-year-old woman, who resigned in May, also is required to pay a $250 fine on each count, plus court costs of about $800 and a monthly probation supervision fee of $40 per month.

The records at issue in the case were a list of delinquent water bills, one totaling more than $8,000. Osburn eventually turned over the records.

Osburn said the trustees in the town 20 miles southwest of Muskogee just wanted to know who was past due on their water bills, and she did not think people should be allowed to see those records.

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Information from: Muskogee Phoenix, http://www.muskogeephoenix.com