Dan Kirby (born Danny Gene Kirby, April 14, 1958) is a
Republican politician from
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
who served in the
Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...
representing the 75th district from 2009 to 2017 and on the
Eufaula City Council from 2021 to 2023. He resigned from the Oklahoma House after sexual harassment allegations and from the Eufaula city government after his indictment for involuntary manslaughter.
In June 2023, Kirby was convicted of
involuntary manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th c ...
for the death of his girlfriend, Sheryl Bichsel, in a July 2022
motorcycle accident where Kirby was driving while intoxicated.
Political career
In January 2017, two legislative assistants accused Kirby of sexual harassment; after a House panel recommended his expulsion from the Senate, Kirby resigned in March. He was elected to represent Ward 4 on the
Eufaula City Council in April 2021 and resigned in March 2023.
Manslaughter conviction
In July 2022, Kirby crashed his motorcycle near
Lake Eufaula State Park
Lake Eufaula State Park is a Oklahoma state park located in McIntosh County, Oklahoma on Lake Eufaula. It is southwest of Checotah. The park was formerly known as Fountainhead State Park. Fountainhead, together with the neighboring Arrowhea ...
and Sheryl Bichsel, his girlfriend and passenger, died in the accident. Since Kirby is a
Muscogee Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the Southe ...
citizen and the accident occured in
Indian Country only the United States and Muscogee Nation had criminal jurisdiction. In June 2023, Kirby was tried in the
in front of Judge
John F. Heil III
John Frederick Heil III (born 1968) is an American lawyer from Oklahoma who is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. In addition to his appointment to the Northern Dist ...
.
Kirby was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was found to be at fault for the crash for driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, and various prescription drugs. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison in July 2024 by Judge Heil.
Electoral history
Kirby ran unopposed in the 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections. In 2016, he defeated
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Karen Gaddis
Karen Gaddis is an American politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 75th district from 2017 to 2018.
A retired teacher, Gaddis was elected to her seat in a special election in 2017; she replaced Dan Ki ...
, receiving 59.56% of the vote; after his resignation, Gaddis won a special election to replace him.
References
1958 births
21st-century American legislators
21st-century Native American politicians
21st-century Oklahoma politicians
Living people
Muscogee (Creek) Nation state legislators in Oklahoma
Oklahoma city council members
Oklahoma politicians convicted of crimes
Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
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