The embattled Oklahoma judge facing a plethora of felony gun charges for drive-by shootings is demanding he keep his job after being suspended for allegedly having sex with a bailiff inside his courthouse.
Garfield County Associate District Judge Brian Lovell, 58, is accused of having inappropriate relationships with two female bailiffs, with the judge allegedly having sex with one of them inside the courthouse bathroom and in her office, The Oklahoman reported.
Lovell’s attorneys, however, claimed the married judge should not be removed over the affair because sex is “no longer the unforgivable sin it once was,” citing “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Sex and the City” and popular songs by Marvin Gaye as examples of sex being in the mainstream zeitgeist.
They ultimately slammed the state for allegedly attempting to humiliate Lovell “to the point that he will voluntarily resign.”
Lovell was indicted earlier this year after officials uncovered incriminating text messages between himself and one of the bailiffs he allegedly had an affair with.
The messages show that Lovell struck up a relationship with the woman, who was not named, last summer, with the two exchanging sexually explicit messages and images while they were on the clock, according to prosecutors.
The woman told investigators that the two of them had sex in her car, the courthouse bathroom and a new table inside her office in the courthouse.
The woman noted that she was “proud” of the table they had sex on, “but not for that reason,” according to police.
The affair came years after Lovell had alleged relations with another bailiff who was hired in 2011, with the two accused of meeting up together during work hours.
That bailiff eventually disclosed the relationship to a judge later that year and resigned, with a panel of five district judges deciding to keep Lovell on the bench.
The bailiff from the second alleged affair also resigned, according to the Oklahoman.
Lovell has neither confirmed nor denied that he had affairs with the women, with the judge facing charges of gross neglect of duty, corruption and misuse of his position as prosecutors accused him of a slew of backroom deals in the courtroom and preferential treatments.
His team claims none of the charges represent the real reason why the state court wants to get rid of their client, with the defense attorneys arguing that the state wants the embattled judge to go away following his drive-by shooting incidents last year.
Last September, Lovell was indicted in Texas for allegedly shooting six parked cars at an intersection outside an Austin Tex-Mex restaurant, where police said he fled the scene and rammed his SUV into a woman’s car twice.
He was also indicted this May for allegedly firing several rounds into his brother-in-law’s Oklahoma home with a .40 caliber Glock pistol back in February 2023, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office.
Lovell claimed his gun was stolen two days later, but police found it in his possession with the bullets matching both shooting incidents, local KFOR reports.
Prosecutors are seeking to have Lovell removed before his trial, which is set for Dec. 2 at the Oklahoma Judicial Center in Oklahoma City.
The court will consider prosecutors’ request during the next hearing on Sept. 12.
