Thorp named District Attorney of the Year

Jack Thorp, District Attorney for District 27, was presented the David L. Moss Memorial Award for Outstanding District Attorney in an awards ceremony held July 12 in Oklahoma City.

As District Attorney for Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties, Thorp has accomplished numerous things to help not only the citizens in his district, but all of Oklahoma.

Over the past year, Thorp launched a fentanyl program in which he is charging drug dealers with firstdegree murder for fatal drug overdoses. This led to a fentanyl education program where he actively speaks to civic groups, schools and the media, while working with local rehabilitation programs.

Thorp also conducted a difficult grand jury investigation into the Oklahoma County Detention Center. As of result of his 14-month investigation, the grand jury produced a report that caused changes to be implemented in the administration of the jail and jail trust.

Additionally, his impact as District Attorney is helping new prosecutors across a large part of the state. With a high number of new prosecutors working in eastern Oklahoma, Thorp arranged and is conducting a trial advocacy program, even having volunteer jurors at times to train many of those inexperienced prosecutors. Prosecutors from Districts 12, 15 and 27 participated.

Thorp is a 24-year career professional who has served as District 27 District Attorney for the past six years. He grew up in Catoosa and served in the U.S. Navy from 1988-1992, when he was honorably discharged. He went on to earn of Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark. He attended the University of Arkansas where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1999.

Thorp is married to Joy, who is the First Assistant District Attorney for District 12.

The David L. Moss Memorial Award for Outstanding District Attorney is named in honor of legendary Tulsa County District Attorney David L. Moss, who died in 1995. It is awarded annually by the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association to recognize the state’s most outstanding District Attorney.

This is Thorp’s second David L. Moss Award; he was previously awarded in 2020.