District 9 DA Laura Austin Thomas Announces Resignation
First Woman Elected to the Position Steps Down After Decades of Public Service
Laura Austin Thomas Steps Down
District 9 District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas announced her intention to resign from office, effective April 30. District 9 includes Payne and Logan Counties. Thomas, who chose not to file for re-election, has now moved up the timeframe for her exit.
Jeremiah Gregory, a Republican and former prosecutor with a private law practice in Stillwater, filed unopposed last week for the position.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve my communities. I remain deeply grateful for the trust placed in me over the years and proud of the work we’ve accomplished together.”
— Laura Austin Thomas
Thomas became the first woman elected District 9 District Attorney in 2014. Before that, she had spent nearly three decades in Payne and Logan Counties, primarily dealing with family court and issues like recovering child support payments.
Legacy and Future Plans
In her announcement, Thomas highlighted the About Face Women’s Offender Program, designed to help non-violent female offenders reduce the odds of recidivism. The inaugural class for this program will graduate in May.
“This program fulfills a lifelong professional goal of mine and has proven to us that this can change women’s lives for the betterment of themselves and society.”
— Laura Austin Thomas
Thomas will remain active with the program after her resignation. She cited family and faith as her foundation and expressed her desire to spend more time with her grandchildren and pursue personal interests, including gardening.
Transition of Leadership
An unexpired term for district attorneys in Oklahoma means the governor would have the option to appoint someone in the interim until Gregory is sworn in. First Assistant District Attorney Jose Villarreal will serve in the position until the governor’s appointment.
Thomas’s tenure saw both accomplishments and challenges, including national scrutiny in 2025 over the Jesse Butler case, where a guilty plea to several counts of sexual assault resulted in no prison time.
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