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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma lawmaker is calling for the ouster of a judge who approved probation for a man who admitted raping a 13-year-old Texas girl at a church camp.
House Resolution 1025 by Republican Rep. Mike Ritze asks the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary to begin removal proceedings for District Judge Wallace Coppedge. The resolution is not legally binding
It says Coppedge neglected his duty in accepting a plea agreement with Benjamin Petty. Coppedge and prosecutor David Pyle were widely criticized over the deal. Pyle resigned after saying a major factor in not seeking prison time was that Petty is legally blind.
Petty pleaded guilty to the 2016 attack and received 15 years' probation. The girl was attending Falls Creek in Davis, Oklahoma, billed as the nation's largest youth camp.
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