Two former Kingfisher County Sheriff’s Offi ce employees filed a wrongful termination lawsuit Jan. 16 against Sheriff Dennis Banther and the county, alleging they were fi red last year in retaliation for their association with a possible political rival.

Husband and wife Joe and Mandy Cox fi led the lawsuit in Kingfi sher County District Court alleging violation of their First Amendment rights and interference with a Kingfisher firearms business Cox co-owns and operates.

According to the petition, Joe Cox worked for the sheriff’s office from Jan. 1, 2015, to April 24, 2019, and was a deputy at the time of his discharge.

His wife Mandy worked for the Kingfi sher County Jail from April 2013 and served as jail administrator from October 2017 until she was placed on administrative leave on May 14, 2019, and then discharged on Aug. 31, according to the petition.

The lawsuit alleges the two employees were fi red in retaliation for their association with former reserve sheriff’s deputy J.J. Stitt, Cox’s business partner in Blue Country Firearms LLC, a gun shop in downtown Kingfi sher.

On April 18, 2019, Stitt announced his candidacy for county sheriff in the November 2020 election and then resigned from the sheriff’s office the following day, according to the petition.

(Ed. note: Stitt has since announced that he will not seek that office and has made a subsequent announcement that he will seek the U.S. Senate offi ce currently held by incumbent Jim Inhofe. The formal filing period for both offi ces does not open until April.)

The Coxes’ lawsuit alleges that sometime between April 19 and April 22, the lock was changed on Joe Cox’s office at the sheriff’s office and Cox was informed by another employee that the sheriff was investigating Cox’s association with Stitt, according to the petition.

Cox allegedly met with Banther on April 23 and Banther allegedly became angry and accused Cox of having prior knowledge of Stitt’s intent to run for sheriff, according to the petition.

Banther subsequently terminated Cox on or about April 24, the petition alleges.

The petition alleges that Banther and his undersheriff allegedly met with Mandy Cox on or about May 14 and informed her she was being placed on administrative leave as a result of criminal and administrative investigations related to her job performance.

Her employment subsequently was terminated effective Aug. 31, according to the petition.

The lawsuit also alleges that Banther spread false information alleging criminal conduct in the operation of Blue Country Firearms and warned members of the community not to patronize the shop, resulting in a decline in business, according to the petition.

When contacted by the Times & Free Press, Banther said his office has forwarded the petition to the county’s insurance provider and he could not comment about the specifi c allegations.