By John Dobberstein, Editor
With heinous criminal charges against them dropped long ago, Bill and Lisa Woolley still haven’t seen the grandson they used to care for in over 5 years.
A website, documentary, podcast, prayer rallies, lawsuits and various other efforts have drawn much attention to their case, but Clayton Wooley still hasn’t been returned to his Broken Arrow grandparents. So the Woolleys have taken their reunification fight to the State Capitol.
State Sen. Dana Prieto (R-Tulsa) and State Rep. J.J. Humphrey (R-Lane) held a press conference recently to “address pressing concerns and systemic issues” at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and push for change, directing their concerns not only to fellow lawmakers but Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Prieto and Humphrey, along with Sen. Shane Jett (R-Stillwater), held a second hearing this past week to discuss ways to hold district attorneys and county officials more accountable for alleged misconduct, where again the Woolley case was discussed.
The Woolleys were charged with the death of their other grandson, Elijah, in 2018 but the charges were dropped by Wagon County District Attorney Jack Thorp after a review of the child’s autopsy results by outside experts cast doubt on Thorp’s case against the grandparents.
Thorp has not responded to calls or emails from the Sentinel about the Woolley case and has not made any public statements since the charges were dropped. At the time, Thorp said the charges were dismissed “due to additional evidence being produced that rebutted the state’s case to the degree that we believe it should be dismissed in the interests of justice.”
Bill and Lisa Woolley delivered a stinging rebuke of DHS in the first hearing, alleging caseworkers improperly interviewed their grandson Clayton and pushed to remove custodial rights from them without a hearing or due process.
Lisa asserted that the results of 2 of 4 interviews with Clayton were hidden from the Woolleys and their attorney for more than a year and Thorp’s office “lied that they even existed.”
Humphrey noted documents that indicated Clayton, after being taken from his grandparents’ home, was interviewed by a counselor from 7:30 to 11 p.m., a timeframe that would be difficult for most 5-year-olds to endure.
The Woolleys also told lawmakers that other family members were never considered for placement for Clayton, as he was first put in a group home and then placed with a foster parent with no relationship with the child.
‘Gone just like that’
Lisa Woolley also alleged DHS never considered the rights of the boy’s natural mother, who had recovered from drug addiction and was able and willing to care for Clayton. Efforts by other family members to take custody of the boy were ignored, she said.
“In fact, they made up a fraudulent document to turn over to the court and commit fraud on the court to fool the judge into keeping Clayton from his mother,” she said. DHS also took custody of their 17-year-old daughter away and she was placed in another home separate from Clayton
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“So since that day that they took him, we’ve never seen him, we’ve never been able to write a letter, or have any contact with him whatsoever,” Lisa said. “He’s just been ripped out of our lives and it’s not just our life. Everyone who ever knew him, everyone who ever loved him, every relative, his church family — everybody gone, just like that.”
The Woolleys also handed over a memo several pages long containing what they described as “exculpatory evidence” against DHS, Wagoner County and others involved in the case criminal case and Clayton’s guardianship.
DHS would not comment on specific allegations, citing confidentiality laws as it has in the past with the Woolley case. The department said those rules prohibit staff from discussing specific cases in public.
“Our participation in a public meeting of this type (the first conference) would not only risk the sharing of confidential information, but because of that, would also not create productive outcomes for either the families or the agency,” DHS said in a statement.
“The facts and circumstances of each case guide the decision making of Oklahoma Human Services and all others who participate in a case, such as law enforcement, district attorneys and the courts, among others. The agency remains committed to protecting the safety of Oklahoma’s children.”
The department’s executive director, Dr. Deborah Shropshire, was reportedly scheduled to attend the discussion about her agency but canceled.
Before the first press conference, Stitt said on X (formerly Twitter) that he had created a child welfare task force “so we can rise to the challenges facing young Oklahomans.
“Dr. Shropshire and @OKDHS are doing incredible work to strengthen services, expand mental health care and create lasting change. Every child in Oklahoma deserves a caring home.”
Ironically, Stitt’s father, John, has publicly supported the Woolley family’s efforts to re-unite with Clayton.
‘Embarrassment to Wagoner County’
Aside from DHS’ role in the controversy, a Muskogee attorney said Thorp has the statutory authority to terminate the disputed guardianship of Clayton.
The boy’s family said they were told by Thorp that he has no authority to end the guardianship and that they should use the legal system. But Bill and Lisa’s attorney, Steve Money, disagrees.
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Clayton Woolley is listed under Title 10A guardianship. Money said a “motion for modification or termination of a permanent guardianship may be filed by the permanent guardian, the child, or the district attorney.
“A modification or termination may also be ordered by the court on its own initiative. An order for modification or termination of the permanent guardianship may be entered after notice and opportunity for hearing and shall be based on a finding that there has been a substantial change of material circumstances.”
The court may modify or terminate the order granting permanent guardianship upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence that there has been a substantial change in material circumstances and that a modification or termination of the permanent guardianship is in the child’s best interest.
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“This is not a case where there is not enough evidence to move forward, this is a case where several experts in the field of child abuse each have concluded the unaccredited Tulsa Medical Examiner was absolutely wrong as to her conclusions about the physical evidence and cause of death,” Money wrote.
Money said that letters from the medical experts concluded Elijah died of gastrointestinal issues, which the Tulsa medical examiner “ignored.”
“But for the unfortunate death of Elijah, I defy the State of Oklahoma to find a single person (other than Deputy Danny Elliott) who would testify that the Woolleys committed any crimes against their grandchildren,” Money wrote.
“Candidly, this case has become an embarrassment to Wagoner County. The District Attorney has full legal authority to move to end the 10A guardianship. On behalf of the entire Woolley family, I am very respectfully asking you to do so.”
At this past week’s hearing, lawmakers also heard from Dennis Shook, a retired Wagoner County judge who handled the guardianship docket in Wagoner County District Court when the Woolleys were caring for Elijah and Clayton.
Shook said he thought the Woolleys were “exemplary guardians” but his “heart sank” when he heard about the criminal charges because he thought he made a mistake to appoint the Woolleys as guardians.
“And I came to realize after looking into the matter, there was no substance to this case at all, and there never was,” Shook said. “They spent 8 months in the Wagoner County Jail — all for nothing.
“As a consequence of this failed prosecution Bill and Lisa Woolley spent their life savings. They had to hire good lawyers and expert witnesses. Bill Woolley lost his job. And their reputations were shattered.”
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