Chauvinism in Blue: Handke's Behavior Highlights Moral Turpitude Concerns

Federal Suit Cites Evidence of Bias with District Attorney's Cop Husband

History is a good indicator when vetting employees, public officials… or even when hiring a pet sitter. Reviewing employment history can reveal patterns and red flags that provide context about an individual's reliability, commitment, and suitability for a particular role. One would think this is essential when vetting for the position of Undersheriff, Police Chief, or City Manager, all positions expected to hold a high level of integrity.

As we previously learned, District Attorney Melissa Handke doesn’t appear concerned with qualifications or moral integrity when it comes to her assistants, so why would it be any different for her husband?

• Read Also: The Sham Advocate: Unqualified to Prosecute

Early into their marriage, the District Attorney’s husband, “Gus”, found himself on the defendant’s side of a federal court room, defending himself against a law suit brought due to his chauvinistic remarks and abuses of power.

“Officer of the Year” 2019 Gus Handke

Some of the biased and chauvinistic remarks are available in excerpts [below] are outlined in an opinion filed in Scott v. City of Minco, 393 F. Supp. 2d 1180 (W.D. Okla. 2005).

It’s no secret, Gus Handke considers Minco, Oklahoma to be his hometown. A “city” with a population of about 1500 [2020 census]. After utilizing high school football as a gateway to college, Gus returned to his hometown with an associates degree in criminal justice and began his law enforcement career [gaining CLEET certification in 1999] where he worked as a Minco Police Officer, under then Chief, Neal Locke. Gus later ran against Locke and securing the elected Chief position for himself.

According to court documents, once police chief, Gus Handke, promised a female officer, Ms. Scott a promotion. Gus Handke then back peddled on his promise of promotion and replaced it with the excuse that other officers would resent having to “answer” to Ms. Scott. According to court documents, Handke then began treating Ms. Scott poorly, including calling her names and eluding that she should begin “harassing people” to achieve his directives.

Excerpt from Scott v. City of Minco, 393 F. Supp. 2d 1180 (W.D. Okla. 2005)

Excerpt from Scott v. City of Minco, 393 F. Supp. 2d 1180 (W.D. Okla. 2005)

As if signing his note to Ms. Scott with “Your Father” was not degrading and unprofessional enough, evidence of his chauvinistic views towards all women came out during depositions [sworn testimony in civil cases].

One cannot help but wonder if Melissa Handke simply tolerated her new husband’s outlook on women, that they “should be at home, pregnant, barefoot, and cooking for him” or if this behavior relates to her current focus on domestic violence cases.

Excerpt from Scott v. City of Minco, 393 F. Supp. 2d 1180 (W.D. Okla. 2005)

Irony is not lost in the fact that Gus Handke’s wife is now the “highest law enforcement officer” over five counties. Imagine the difficulty he now experiences, concealing such antiquated views, while living in the shadow of his newly appointed District Attorney wife. How does he reconcile her position of authority with his belief that women “do not belong in law enforcement?”

To Test a Man’s Character, Give Him Power

Scott vs. City of Minco is a window into Gus Handke’s character, once he tasted the power of a police chief position, he used it to bully and antagonize. Endorsed on his Facebook page is his favorite quote:

Screenshot from Gus Handke’s Facebook Page 11/18/2023

If his time as Minco’s Chief [give him power] was a test of his character, then Scott vs. City of Minco is an obvious failure of such a test. It appears that Gus Handke became comfortable with abusing power quite early on in his career. One could excuse this as an early career blemish, however, it’s of important note that Gus Handke continues his ties to Minco, and has brought Minco to Carter County. The small town has coincidentally experienced some issues ironically similar to Carter County’s Law Enforcement issues.

Political Connections with Minco Oklahoma

Longtime Minco city council woman, Susan Hollandsworth, [Gus Handke’s aunt] was recently elected Mayor. Her children, Landon Copeland [Healdton Police officer] and Colby Copeland [Carter County Sheriff’s Deputy] both relocated to Carter County when Gus Handke was Undersheriff and joined law enforcement under his supervision.

In January of 2022 Colby Copeland received a deferred sentence [TR-2022-00008] for reckless driving, in violation of 47 O.S. 11-901 (A),(B). The case was prosecuted, by no other than, Melissa Handke. The OSCN record conveniently shows no court filings after the original 01/07/2022 filing date. Sources say the reckless driving charge stemmed from OHP catching Copeland “street racing”. Unsurprisingly, there does not appear to be any evidence in OSCN court records that this potential impeachment evidence has ever been disclosed to any traffic defendants upon which Colby Copeland was a state’s witness.

Handke’s former police Chief, whom he worked [and trained] with prior to his own election in Minco, Neal Locke, was arrested in [Grady County CF-2022-00037] in 2022 for unlawful use of communication [2 Felony Counts], Conspiracy [2 Felony Counts], and intimidation of witness [1 Felony Count]. Locke’s next appearance in court on the matter is set for January 2024.

The charges stem from Locke allegedly placing a hidden recording device in the Maintenance building in an effort to secretly record employees.

Same Song, Different Verse:

Does a hidden recording device sound familiar? That’s because it should. In November of 2022, Carter County Sheriff’s office was hit with the “Bug Scandal” when a recording device was found in the jail’s attorney/client meeting room. Conveniently, Gus Handke left the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, for a position as Healdton Police, as a significantly lower pay grade, just a short time prior to the discovery being made public.

Is this a pattern of misconduct between Minco & Carter County? Two similar incidents in the same year, both involving former law enforcement “brothers in blue”. In Carter County there are only more questions now that the public has received almost no information from the year long OSBI investigation into the bug. No charges, no transparency… No accountability.

• For Latest on Carter County’s Bug Scandal, Read: “Consequence-Free Zone: No Transparency or Accountability in Sight!”