This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The head of Oklahoma’s prison system, who presided over two botched lethal injections, announced his resignation on Friday, the second high-ranking official to step down amid an investigation into the executions.

Oklahoma used wrong drug in Charles Warner's execution, autopsy report says Read more

The department of corrections director, Robert Patton, announced in a news release that he would resign effective 31 January, but will begin taking accrued leave on 25 December.

“I appreciate the members of the board of corrections for their continued support during my time as director,” Patton said in a statement, adding that he has accepted a position in Arizona to be closer to family.

A telephone message left on Friday at Patton’s office was not immediately returned, and a DOC spokeswoman said she did not have any information about Patton’s new position.

Patton appeared in October before a multicounty grand jury that is looking into how the wrong lethal injection drugs were used during an execution in January. The same wrong drugs were delivered to the prison just hours before an execution was to be carried out in September.



Patton had been on the job a few months when the execution of Clayton Lockett was botched in April 2014.

In October, the department announced that the warden of Oklahoma state penitentiary, Anita Trammell, would no longer report to work and would use accrued leave until her retirement date of 1 March.



Trammell was inside the state’s execution chamber when a botched lethal injection left Lockett writhing on the gurney and mumbling. His execution lasted for 43 minutes.