By Traci Chapman, Managing Editor
Canadian County District Judge Paul Hesse announced Friday he would seek a second full term.
Hesse first ran without opposition for a full term in 2018 to what was at that time the county’s only district judgeship; he was initially appointed in 2017 by Gov. Mary Fallin to serve the remaining term of District Judge Gary Miller, who retired in September 2016. Hesse was selected from among three final candidates for the post.
Hesse since 2019 has shared duties with District Judge Jack McCurdy in hearing criminal, civil, guardianship and probate cases. McCurdy was elected that year after the creation of a second district judicial post in the county.
Four other individuals preside over Canadian County cases – Associate Judge Bob Hughey and special judges Charles Gass, Barbara Hatfield and Khristan Strubhar.
In addition to his regular case load, Hesse has worked as presiding judge for Oklahoma’s multicounty grand jury, as well as being assigned to address alleged misconduct in several criminal cases by an Oklahoma County prosecutor and judge.
Hesse was also appointed by the state attorney general to the Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board – one of 19 originally named members of the new commission, the only district judge and sole Canadian County official to be named to the entity. He has also served on the Intervention and Crisis Advocacy Network board and as a citizen’s advisory board member for El Reno’s C.A.R.T. House.
“I’m looking forward to serving the public another four years as a judge and to continuing modernization and improvements of the judicial system,” the judge said. “I’m also in particular looking to grow the participation in specialty courts.”
Those specialties are dedicated drug, veterans and mental health courts, where Hesse serves as presiding judge. He created the veterans’ court to allow him to specifically address issues faced by those who serve – or have served – in the military and who have been charged with a crime.
“The needs of these individuals are often associated with substance abuse and post-traumatic stress and are addressed with the assistance from social workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Hesse said. “The number of participants on this docket has grown as veterans facing charges are identified and educated about the benefits of this specialty court.”
Before his appointment to the judiciary, Hess worked for about two decades in the Canadian County District Attorney’s office, including for several years as lead prosecutor under District Attorney Michael Fields, who oversees District 4, which encompasses Canadian, Blaine, Kingfisher, Grant and Garfield counties.
Together, the two men worked on several high-profile cases overseen by Hesse, including the 2013 first-degree murder conviction of Mustang realtor Rebecca Bryan. That case, among many others, illustrated Hesse’s importance to the DA’s office, Fields said at the time of the new judge’s appointment.
“Paul Hesse has served our office and the citizens of Oklahoma with an extraordinary level of professionalism, skill, and expertise,” he said. “I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to serve alongside him all these many years.
Hesse earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Central Oklahoma and graduated from University of Oklahoma College of Law. His wife, Mandy, is a teacher at Mustang Public School district; the couple lives in Mustang with their three children – Paige, Connor and Piper.
Filing for judicial offices is scheduled for April 13-15.
