BURNET (WBAP/KLIF News) – A judge in Burnet County, just 54 miles northwest of Austin, apologized for his comment suggesting the lynching of the suspect in the recent murder of a San Antonio police officer.
Otis Tyrone McKane, a black man, is accused of shooting Detective Benjamin Marconi to death outside of police headquarters Sunday morning. Marconi was shot as he sat in his squad car after making a traffic stop.
After McKane’s arrest, Judge James Oakley wrote “time for a tree and a rope” on Facebook. He deleted the comment a few days later before issuing the apology.
Citizens criticized Oakley on Burnet County’s Facebook page, calling his comment racist and inappropriate. According to the Austin-American Statesman, Oakley referred to his comments “off the cuff” and “indeed curt and harsh.”
Oakley apologized and said his comments were not based on race. He said his opinion of McKane “is the same regardless of ethnicity.” Oakley is the top elected official in Burnet County.
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