LAHOMA, Okla. — A Halloween night Klu Klux Klan incident that drew national attention is now the focus of lawsuit by the city’s former police chief.

The former police chief of Lahoma, Oklahoma Matthew Hankins is suing the town of Lahoma, the mayor Theresa Sharp and one other individual, Brian Hamen. The suit claims Hankins was fired because of his response to a Halloween night incident involving Sharp’s husband, Hamen and others wearing white, KKK-like robes.

On Halloween of 2015, while acting as chief, Hankins was riding around Lahoma with a trailer full of kids handing out candy when an individual reported people dressed as Klan members and burning a cross on Anthony Street in Lahoma. 

Later Hankins received a call from Garfield County dispatch about people on a golf cart chasing kids around, according to a police report. After driving around town and not seeing anyone chasing kids, Hankins drove down Anthony Street and saw the golf cart parked on private property out of Lahoma city limits.

Hankins then advised Garfield County Deputy Aaron Moore that the property was Garfield County jurisdiction.

Walking up to the property, Hankins saw the mayor’s husband Cary Sharp, Robert White, Jeremy Hamen and Brian Hamen, according to the police report.

“Cary Sharp was dressed in a white robe with a large cross on it but no hood,” Moore wrote in his report. “I advised the group why I was there and that to save them and myself anymore headaches to not burn anymore crosses.”

Sharp and White were wearing white sheets, according to the police report.

“(They) said they had been drinking and thought it would be funny to do, so they went and got sheets and cut holes in them and cut the legs off painter’s pants for the cap,” Hankins wrote. “We advised them to take the stuff (off) and to quit with the stupid stuff.

“I found out later that they did not burn a cross, they held it up behind the fire and made it look like it was burning while people were driving around. I also asked them about chasing kids, and they told me they did not chase kids with the golf cart … it was a misdemeanor that did not happen in my presence.“

None of the men were arrested or charged.

A photo circulating on Facebook with KKK robes, a cross and bonfire drew national attention to the Halloween night incident.

After the incident, the mayor said she had no intent of resigning and tried to play off the KKK “prank” as “four good ol’boys sitting around drinking,” according to the court filing.

According to the court filing, Hankins was fired because of several events surrounding the incident.

During a hearing on protective orders between Hamen and another resident, Nicole Wedel, on March 9, Hankins testified about the KKK activities on Halloween.

After the hearing, “Brian Hamen submitted a resident complaint form regarding the plaintiff (Hankins) and his capacity as police chief directly to Mayor Sharp,” according to the filing. 

Before the protective order hearing, the court document said, Hankins expected a raise at the March 14 town hall meeting. Although he was due at his six-month probationary period in February, according to the filing, no raise was provided because of the town’s budget and the item was tabled.  Hankins was hired and promoted to the position of police chief on Aug. 10, 2015, according to the complaint. 

On March 14, Hankins was terminated without notice. The town requires its Board of Trustees to provide a written statement to demote an employee at least five days prior to the action and provide advance written notice of any layoff, according to the filing. 

The filing states Hankins was fired “in retaliation for his actions of responding to the KKK event on Halloween of 2015 involving the mayor’s husband.”

“Mayor Sharp and Brian Hamen conspired to try to improperly and unjustly remove the plaintif (Hankins) from his job as the police chief of Lahoma by having Brian Hamen fill out a resident complaint form and giving it directly to Mayor Sharp,” according to the filing. 

Hankins filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Monday requesting damages, in excess of $75,000, be awarded to him, including lost wages and that he be reinstated as the police chief.  The suit states Hankins is suing for a violation of procedural due process under the civil rights act, retaliation and wrongful termination against the town and mayor. Hankins is suing on the basis of defamation and libel against Brian Hamen and conspiracy against Sharp and Hamen, according to the filing. 

Town Attorney John Winard said he had not been authorized or provided any authority to comment on the case. Sharp was contacted for comment but has not responded. 

Summars is a reporter with the Enid (Oklahoma) News and Eagle.