EDMOND, OKLAHOMA — Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication on Friday, Aug. 14. Police detained Lepak outside a McDonald's drive-thru on North Kelly Avenue in Edmond at approximately 10:45 p.m.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond demanded on Tuesday, Aug. 18, that Gov. Stitt fire Lepak. Lepak serves on the governor's Cabinet and is tasked with maintaining official decrees, legislative acts, and state agency rules.

Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Lepak as Secretary of State in October 2025. State payroll records show Lepak is paid nearly $20,000 per month, broken down into $7,500 for regular pay and $12,500 for extra duty.

Robert Stout, an attorney for the Secretary of State's office, said the compensation structure reflects how prior Secretaries of State have been compensated. Lepak will be arraigned in Edmond Municipal Court in September.

Timeline

In May 2021, Lepak was arrested by The Village Police on suspicion of being in control of a vehicle while intoxicated. An officer reported finding Lepak asleep in a running vehicle next to two open cans of beer during the 2021 incident. Lepak received a one-year deferred sentence for the 2021 charge.

On Friday, Aug. 14, police detained Lepak outside a McDonald's drive-thru on North Kelly Avenue in Edmond at approximately 10:45 p.m. An Edmond police officer reported that Lepak had extremely slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Lepak told officers he was at a church gathering and said, "I got McDonald's, cause this is my night to have McDonald's." An officer told Lepak, "You’re under arrest for public intoxication, and you’re lucky it’s not a DUI." Lepak replied to the officer, "No, I don’t," when asked if he understood why he was being arrested.

What's New

Edmond police responded to the incident and reported that Lepak had extremely slurred speech and an odor of alcohol coming from his breath. A spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office stated that Lepak was waiting outside McDonald's for dinner and was not given a breathalyzer test. An Edmond police officer reported that Lepak had extremely slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Lepak was booked into the City of Edmond Jail. Oklahoma Secretary is elected political office in Oklahoma.

Why It Matters

Court records released on Wednesday, Aug. 19, indicate Lepak pleaded no contest to public intoxication in December 2022 after being cited by Edmond Police in June 2022. In May 2021, Lepak received a one-year deferred sentence for the charge of being in control of a vehicle while intoxicated.